A Life Returned
by Laser Lance 720
Summary: When you change one thing, you change everything. Once more in a war stricken world, Lu Ten must decide where his loyalies lie. But he is not the only one questioning the war.
1. Awake and Alive-Skillet

**Disclaimer: I own no characters related to ATLA and do not claim ownership over them.**

**A/N: Another request by the lovely t-rex989, who gave me the base idea for this story. Thanks! Meant to have this thing up and started like a week ago, but ended up being a very hectic week with my step sisters down, and the wedding, and tons of Sociology project work, and much more, and it didn't get up when I wanted.**

**The Prologue was really hard to write as well. I mean, got the entire skeleton for the story, plot, characters, chapter numbers, shipping, etcetera, but this first chapter just wasn't coming. My train of thought was so faltered and wrecked. But I guess it worked out in the end. **

**IMPORTANT NOTE! After reading this first chapter, please read the Authors Note below to clear up any and hopefully all confusion. This chapter is the key to setting the entire story, but with the way it is written and directed might leave some of you confused. It's not a complicated read; it's just how the POV for this first chapter are set up. They're not main characters, you know everything going on, everyone mentioned and everything shown kind of POV's. It's more of those POV's were not everything is crystal clear and you know half of what is going on. Such as, Lu Ten is not properly named until the very end, even though he is the main focus of this fic. There is reasoning behind the way this is written. **

"The Dragon in in its cage." Dai Lee agent Meyers ears picked up the voice; rough and low, coming from the silhouette hidden in the shadows. The man lifted his eyes as the small group of five stepped from the dark alley, their faces hidden in the shade of their downwardly casted heads.

"Excellent." He grinned. "Has there been any news from Long Fang?"

"None sir," the young agent quickly answered. "He says the young king is still oblivious to what is going on, and that we are to keep it that way. And in his absence, you have complete control over these sections Dai Lee Agents."

"Good." With a quick nod the advancing group split into two and vanished back into nothing more than a thin outline in the dark, leaving the lead agent standing behind Meyers.

"The plan is still a go than, Sir?"

"Everything is in place," the elder agent kept his grin in check as the younger melted back into the shadows he appeared from. "By the end of tonight, we will have thrown the Fire Nation advancement down to their knees. It will be a strike on the Royal Family that will have them crumbled."

Meyers crossed his arms behind his back as he silently glided down the streets of the lower ring of Ba Sing Se. Frightening shadows danced at his feet from the light of the full moon, his shadow casting menacing shapes against the closed up houses as he moved with the sound of a ghost.

On the other side of the Outer Wall, the Fire Nation army was pushing farther, closing the city off from any outside contact. This was where the Dai Lee's mission lay. To put an end to the campaign that threatened life for those inside the walls. It was a simple mission, but one that left no room for error.

-oOo-

The night moon soon set from the sky as early dawn took the land. Agent Meyers watched with trained eyes, as the encampment outside his walls slowly rose with the morning sun, from his location at the topmost tower of the Outer Wall. Below him Fire Nation soldiers bustled about, oblivious to the deep glares of hatred and humor that followed their movements with the focus of a stalking predator.

As the morning rose, Dai Lee Agents quickly filtered around the pathways carved into the top of the wall, and took their positions, unseen and unknown by the enemy soldiers below them. Silent as a bird of prey, they waited for their signal to strike without mercy and remorse.

Meyer's eyes followed the aging General's movements through his set of binoculars. Dark brown eyes stayed train on the man as the Fire Nation Prince moved about his routine day. It would be another few hours before the general would order his men back towards the base off the wall. Agent Meyers only had to wait for that command.

Impatience rose in him as the Dragon of the West stayed in the large tent at the center of the camp, as he and his fellow officers made preparations for their next attack. The wait turned to hours as no changes were made in the enemy's lines.

His interest was sparked whenever a lone soldier with a stunning resemblance to the Dragon himself, stormed into the meeting tent. Two officers from inside the tent stomped out moments later, the lone soldier still inside. Meyers waited, his curiosity sparking like the flame at the end of a firebenders fist. Almost a half an hour later, the two men stepped into the open field a half a mile from the Outer Wall. He wasn't sure who that second man was, but he wanted him. It seemed their no prisoner rule was going to be adjusted for this mission.

Agent Meyers recognized the signal General Iroh gave his men, and the Dai Lee agent sent a similar gesture down his line of forces.

As the Fire Nation army marched closer to the walls of Ba Sing Se, Agent Meyers moved his men into position.

"There has been a change in plans men," he shouted over the rushing wind. The half a mile distance between them and the advancing firebenders was quickly decreasing. "I am aware that most, if not all of you, were looking forward to killing as many hot heads as possible today. But there has been a slight change in that plan." A mumbled groan filtered down the lines at the words spoken.

"I assure you," Meyers grinned at the response, "that you may still knock as many Fire Nation heads together as you wish. But with this mission we have another goal besides just rolling heads. The Dragon of the West. He is our main target. Kill as many of those damn firebenders as you wish, but the General must be one of those to fall here tonight. His death is our main goal.

"Second!" Meyers held a quickly done portrait of a young man in both of his hands for the agents before him to see. "I want this man brought to me personally. Alive preferably, if that is not too much to ask. Any soldier out there, who resembled this man, is to be brought directly in to me. Is this understood?"

An echoing 'yes sir,' answered the question. Meyers grinned darkly at the men before him.

-oOo-

In the smoke of a quickly downward turning battle, Dai Lee agent Muse found himself struggling for breath in the dust that filled the air. Fire and stone raced passed his head as the nineteen year old struggled to continue his own battle before him. The firebender was quickly advancing upon the young agent, his dark green uniform now turned to burnt scraps as his loosing fight ensued.

Jerking his foot suddenly, and sliding it across the ground, he brought a solid stone mass from beside him. The attack collided with the firebenders chest, but the impacted seemed to do nothing but send him stumbling back a few feet. Rage darted in his opponent's ember eyes; his fist quickly engulfing in flames as he made advancement back towards his earthbending prey before him. With a swift kick from the firebender that just barely missed his chest, Muse found himself tumbling backwards and landing painfully on the ground.

Muse's green eyes searched franticly around him as the soldier stood above him. His boot clad foot pressed itself down over Muse's right arm, trapping him on the ground and preventing him from attacking. The earthbender stared up into the face resembling the portrait Meyers had shown them. The young agent was positive that the firebender standing above him was the one Meyers had his eyes on, but he couldn't be sure. All the firebenders started to look the same to him over the years.

The heat from the soldiers flames radiated around the two men as Dai Lee Agent Muse waited for his final moments to come at the hand of the enemy. Hatred boiled inside him as the firebender continued to stand there, with an almost remorseful look plastered over his face.

"Do it already!" Muse screamed, amazed his voice managed to escape his lips. The firebenders mournful eyes widened at the words. The golden orbs quickly letting pity and remorse fill the anger that was there moments go. The pressure on Muse's arm let up considerably, but not enough for him to get his ground.

"Just do it!" he yelled again at the older man. He was not going to allow some firebender the chance to pity him on the battlefield. He didn't need it. Young and rage filled eyes narrowed furiously at the tired, but not much older pair, of the enemy before him. Green met golden, as dust fell around them.

"What are you waiting for?" Muse asked. The pressure on his arm disappeared as the firebender stepped off of his limb. Muse remained lying flat on the ground in a daze for a few extra seconds before lifting himself into a sitting position. What trick was this soldier playing on him?

"Stand up." The firebenders voice was almost chocking sounding, as if he was struggling to speak, as he stood in a defensive stance. "I will not kill a man while he is down on his back."

"A firebender with a sense of honor," Muse chuckled without realizing. Lifting himself from the ground, he bent his knees in a fighting stance. "Like a monster with a soul. Shall we resume were we left off?" Muse felt his fears melt away as a cocky grin spread over his face.

Before either could advance upon the other, an Earth shattering explosion, just feet away from them, shock the ground below their feet. Muse didn't see the spray of fire that quickly engulfed around them until it was mere inches from his body. A second flame circled around them, the reds mixing into each other.

Both him and his own opponent were covered in ashy soot and had been shoved to the ground with the force of the blast. The firebender in question moving slowly from his face down position directly in front of him. As the fires smoldered around him, the charred bodies of both Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom soldiers littered around him came into views. Muse stared with horror at the battlefield before him. Soldiers from both sides of the war looked identical when nothing but a charred mess. The clothes off their bodies were nothing but an incinerated remainder. For one brief moment, Muse thanked Oma and Shu above that he had been just on the outskirts of the devastating blast.

His good fortune soon wore off, as the sickening smell of his own burning flesh filled his nose as he tried to peel himself from the ground without success. The left side of his body felt like a blistering mess; the stone glove around his hand doing little to protect the scorched skin underneath. An agonizing sensation danced its way through out the nerves of his legs up into the rest of his body. His green eyes searched behind him in vain in an attempt to spot where his left leg had been moments ago. Blood matted the tattered remains of his pants leg as realization took hold.

Strong hand wrapped under his underarms as he was lifted from the ground. A loud scream vibrated from the earthbenders lips as the entire left side of his body felt ablaze by the no longer burning fire. Lifting his tear threatened eyes; Muse's green vision met the determined stare of gold. He tried to cringe from the man who moments ago had nearly laid him in his death dead, but was unable to move with his injuries. No words were spoken as Muse allowed the man to carry him towards the base of the Outer Wall, where the Dai Lee agents were retreating to after the clearly unattended explosion.

From between the sinking dust, Muse's straining eyes could make out a set of Dai Lee agents at the base. Their eyes lifted towards the slow scratching sound of his and the firebenders steps. Before he could open his mouth to speak, the agents' gloves were flying towards them. The stone wrapped around the enemy's shoulders, prying his hands from supporting Muse.

As the firebender collided with the ground, the stone gloves pinning him into the Earth, Muse quickly lost his balance and fell forward. His head struck against the cold ground in a sickening snap as the agents moved in to assess the situation.

-oOo-

Agent Meyers grinned at the lineup of seven kneeling Fire Nation soldiers before him; all with their hands tied painfully behind their back, a large cloth bag placed over their heads. His eyes narrowed at the one directly before him in sure assurance that this was the man he was looking forward to seeing face to face.

"Take the bags from their heads!" He ordered. seven bags were pulled from the captured soldier's heads simultaneously as all seven men blinked in quick repetition as their eyes adjusted to the dim light of the Lake Lougi headquarters. Meyer's eyes quickly locked on the soldier before him, his golden eyes staring back at him with the defiance of royalty. This was his man.

"I'm sure you all have heard the rumors of the Dai Lee headquarters and what we do to soldiers like you. I'm sure you are wondering if such rumors are true." Meyers grinned wickedly as six of the seven soldiers trembled in the cold; the defiant one in front of him unmoving and unflinching. "But I assure you, they are all very true for those of you who hold that defiant breath in you." Meyers glanced at the particular soldier at the end of the line up before gracefully marching to the opposite end.

"State your name soldier!" His words held no room for discussion as he glance at the young Fire Nation soldier. The golden brown eyes of the boy no more than sixteen trembled almost as much as his thin body did. His pale face jerked to look at the man, this short black ponytail jerking behind him, with a pleading expression.

"Hu-Hu-Hu- Huogh." The boy answered through clinched teeth. Meyers nodded approvingly before moving to the next soldier.

"Jayen." The soldier, at least thirty, responded with a much more solid voice than the boy before him. Meyers nodded as well before moving down the line up, receiving one Fire Nation name after the other, each voice either hold a terrified or frightful tone.

Standing in front of the last remaining soldier, Meyers waited for the name he wanted to hear to be spoken from the man's mouth. The soldier in his mid-twenties let his golden eyes trail casually around in curiosity. Dark ashes clung to his tattered uniform; dark red scars were beginning to form over his body and face, an angry burn running the length of his neck. The man's ebony hair was half still in its topknot, while the majority hung down around his scared pale face. A sort of royal and majestic glow seemed to almost radiate off him as he remained kneeling and bleeding on the cold stone floor.

"Lee." The final soldier shrugged his shoulder as he answered with a casual tone. "Just Lee." Meyers hand collided with the young mans bruised and slightly burnt face in annoyance and anger at his remark.

"Don't fool with me Prince Lu Ten," the Dai Lee agent grinned at the defiant gleam in the Prince's eyes turn to surprise. "I know exactly who you are."

"In that case," Lu Ten lifted his eyes to meet the man's cruel dark glare, "does diplomatic immunity count in this situation? And if so, I'd like to extend it to this set here. Because Agni knows, I'll need all six of them to help me find my way back to camp."

"Silence!" Meyer's voice held a clear level of rage that left every present person in the room cringing; minus the man speaking and the one being spoken to. "You are my special prisoner now Prince Lu Ten. You do not know the trouble I went through to get my hands on you."

"You do realize once my dad realizes that I'm gone, he'll tear Ba Sing Se to the ground to find me." Lu Ten struggled against the stone bonds holding him. "It's only a matter of time before he discovers your little underwater club house and breaks in. While you're at it, you might want to fix that leak behind it, cause it smells pretty musty down here."

"Your father is not a problem for us at this moment." Meyers answered with narrowed eyes.

"What are you talking about?" Lu Ten's voice held a dangerous tone to it. "What did you do to my father?"

"Nothing yet little boy," Meyers was beginning to get the upper hand in the standoff. The young Prince had left a weak spot in his defiant manner. "But as we speak, your father is cleaning up camp and moving soldiers out. I highly doubt he, or anyone for that matter, will be looking for you any time soon."

"You're lying," Lu Ten narrowed his eyes in suspicion, "my father would never leave me behind. Much less leave six others behind as well."

"Not unless he thought you to be dead." Meyers allowed the enjoyment he felt playing this catowl and mouse game with the young prince. "With so many charred bodies out on that field, any number of them could be yours. And when there's no possible way of telling the difference between who's whom out there. So I assure you, your father is not looking for you."

Lu Ten's shoulders sank as the man's words struck home to him. Mournfully he lifted his golden eyes to face the six men beside him, an apologetic expression over his face. "Let them go."

"Excuse me?" Meyers narrowed his eyes even farther at the young man as he turned his pale face towards him. "Would you care to repeat that?"

"I said let them go," Lu Ten shifted to stand, but found a sturdy hand holding him down. "You have me, what do you need of them? My life for theirs?"

"You seem to be under the impression," Meyers could have laughed at the young man's attempts, "that you have a choice in this matter. But let me remind you _Prince _Lu Ten, you have no control, no rule in my land. I am the one who decides rather you and your fellow soldiers live or die. and I alone hold that power. so before you begin demanding anything-"

"-I was merely asking." Lu Ten interrupted. His confident and cocky demeanor quickly evaporating as he pleaded for his fellow soldiers lives. "I was merely asking for you to spar their lives. I am responsible for these men, and whatever you wish to put upon them, I will take on my own back for their safety. They have done nothing to you. having the prince of an enemy nation should be a big enough prize for you, don't let six innocent men suffer any more than they must."

"No my prince." Every eye in the room landed on the kneeling Huogh who seemed to have regained his voice as he looked at Lu Ten with a loyal smile. "We will not allow you to sacrifice yourself for us. We will not abandon you down here while we walk free. I gave our nation my oath that I would protect you. I made my mother a promise that I would bring honor to my family. to abandon you now would be a disgrace to everything I stand for. I will not leave you Sir."

"Nor will I," the soldier beside Lu Ten chimed. the Prince's eyes gleamed with pride at the loyalty of the soldiers beside him.

"If you go down Sir," Huogh nodded at the prince, "than we will go down right beside you."

Slow clapping forced the Fire Nation soldiers to withdraw the understanding eye contact they held, as they laid their gaze once more on Dai Lee agent Meyers, his stone covered hands echoing his claps in a sickening thunder.

"Now that we are all on the same page," he stopped his claps and nodded towards the agents behind the seven men. "I want their hands crushed immediately and throw them into the lower cells. Let's see how long your loyalties last, when we take your precious sun away."

-oOo-

Lu Ten held his bleeding and broken hands to his chest as the energy faded away from him. fresh bandages had been placed on his newly damaged hands by a young woman who called herself Jo Dee hours before, but the girl in her mid-twenties was no doctor and could do little to stop the bleeding and bruises forming. An intense pain throbbed though his body as both his new injuries and his old caught up to his tired and beaten frame.

The prince's inner fire burned dimmer as the months grew by and he watched the Dai Lee agents drag the corpus' of his fellow servicemen being dragged without care from the damp cells. There came a point when no voices would answer his calls, and Lu Ten realized that he was the lone survivor. the other six's life had been drained away by the constant depriving on the suns light on their souls. Lu Ten had considered it a small miracle whenever he had managed to find the crack in his prison wall. However small the slit was, it still allowed a small ray of sunlight to penetrate from the close surface near the roof of his cell and onto his face.

Days turned to months, and months turned to years as Lu Ten felt himself growing desperate in his prison cell.

As the years passed Lu Ten began to rework the strength back into his body. His physique however thin and frail from the nutrition deprivation, still managed to hold as much strength as he needed. The extra food that a certain familiar one handed agent brought whenever he delivered the prince's lunch, kept his body just above the point of eating away at itself.

The functioning of his hands slowly began to come back with each exercises and movement he put it through. His fingers no longer bent the way they were meant to, and he highly doubted he would ever hold a sword the proper way again, but just being about to maneuver his damaged hand to allow him to eat with utensils again seemed like an accomplishment to the man.

As time passed, and the days were counted by the small ray of stolen light, Lu Ten began to realize that his days were numbered in this cell. There was clearly something they wanted from him. something they thought they could gain.

And when the day came that they achieved what they wanted, or learned that Lu Ten was not their key to getting it, they would finish him off just like the other six who had entered the cell block with him.

Roughly four years would pass from the day Lu Ten was first brought into the cells, before the day he would feel the sun shining over his tattered and bruised form would come.

**-oOo-**

**So. 4,000 word roughly for chapter one. Not including disclaimer and Author Notes. wow. Only took three hours to write and tidy up. for something like this, four hours was a good time frame for me. **

**some explanations, in the order that they occur in this fic:**

**Most important topic I should hit is the chosen POV and way this chapter was written. you get a lot of side characters and unclear sequences from the eyes of both Agent Meyers and Muse. that decision to write from their perspective came from the idea that I didn't want just Lu Ten's views and such to be what set this up. If he had just been captured by the Dai Lee and the reader had no clue as to what the agents were thinking when they took him, than it would defeat the purpose! the whole bases for writing from Meyers and later Muse's POV, **_**keep in mind these are my OC's,**_** was so… in all truth writing from those POV's was just something that happened. **

**If this whole chapter had been told from Lu Ten's POV, than… the story would have turned out and been set with a much different mood and tone than it is. Meyer's part had been an obvious; there was no other way around it. But Muse, that was an entirely different story. For anyone who's read **_**A Little Soldier Boy, **_**and who knows how I do Lu Ten, you know that he's not this big angry soldier in my head. he's like season two Zuko for me at this point. he'll still fight for what he's been brought up to believe, **_**slight Ba Sing Se,**_** but he's also questioning everything he thought he knew. having the fight scene between him and Muse told from the POV of the younger bender… I'll just leave that to the reader to decide what they want to think of it. that decision definitely did something for me with that part.**

**I'm not sure how the Dai Lee agents actually work, with their head of command and all that, but I figured that Long Feng probably had a hard enough job keeping the war quiet and running Ba Sing Se for Kuei, that he would need a second in command to deal with the dirty stuff that he's too posh to get his hands on. this is where Agent Meyers comes in. I see him as being the EK's version of the Warden at the Boiling Rock. that's just the image that comes into my head whenever he's being all Dai Lee like. maybe he's the Warden and Mai's dad's other brother. Le Gasp! Interracial marriage! I don't think so… no Dai Lee Uncle for Mai. Sucks I know. this would make family gatherings very entertaining. **

**But Meyers has the determination and the drive to make him both a useful alley, as well as a dangerous enemy. it becomes clear from the beginning that Meyers is smacks first ask questions later kind of guy. not a big Fire Nation fan. **

**The six other Fire Nation soldiers who were brought before the Dai Lee, I hold a deep respect for. for such minor one-time only characters, the six of them together in their loyalty to Lu Ten was something that I don't want to be forgotten. especially Huogh. he comes in terrified at such a young age, but that scared teenager is replaced with a newfound confidence whenever he declares his loyalty to the prince. the death of the six of them wasn't really highlighted and discussed, but the cause was an important concept.**

**Without sunlight, firebenders die. I don't know if this is a fanon idea or an actual canon concept, but it applies here. And it makes sense. S firebender thrives off of their inner fire, which is fueled by the sun, which is in turn a giant flaming ball of flames in space. Blow your mind! But without that source of fire, a firebender is going to lose their inner strength and pretty much writher away. The only thing that kept Lu Ten alive, and that will keep him alive for the next few years, will be that small crack in the wall that gives him just enough sun, and the nice little lanterns that burn along the walls. But the Dai Lee's lanterns aren't enough to keep them going for long. Lu Ten thanks Agni for that small crack. **

**The hand crushing! That is not something I can take credit for. That's actually something EK soldiers do! Have you ever noticed that there are no FN war prisoners anywhere! The FN keeps war prisoners, and apparently takes okay care of them as the whole invasion force looks bright and healthy after being released from prison, but you never hear of FN war prisoners! Look at the episode when we first met Haru! What do the earthbenders do to those soldiers whose job it is to watch them on those boats? They drop them in the water. and float away. Leaving those men to either get eaten by some sea monster, or drowned after being exhausted on trying to swim back. Those men died. **_**I'd like to point out, whenever Zuko was sniffing Katara's necklace like a creeper, that ship was most likely left at the docks after being stolen. Because what use would a bunch of earthbenders have with a metal Fire Nation boat full of coal? sometimes I want to smash myself. **_

**But back on track, war prisoners in the EK doesn't seem like a big concept for them. They'd rather crush that old man's hands after kidnapping him during his naked Iroh time. This is why I never liked the EK. No wonder I was routed for the FN for most of the show. **

**And they call the Fire Nation evil. Between Chin the conquer, Long Feng, Kyoshi who liked to kill everyone, **_**love you Kyoshi, **_**and violent EK soldiers and civilians who bully innocent farm towns, throw people who can't swim into the ocean, kidnap young woman and turn them into sex slaves, yell at people who just saved their son's life, and such… and they thought Sozin was a monster. **_**Please keep in mind, this does not mean I am an Ozai supporter. I hope that man rots in Hells. **_**If I was EK, I'd just move down to the Swamp Tribes where no one kills each other, and you sleep with wild animals and don't have to worry about pants. **

**Having his hands smashed is going to lead to complications later for Lu Ten as he escapes from his prison cell. But that is for another day and next chapter.**

**Muse will come into importance much later into the story. so keep an eye out for him. **

**For anyone who clicked on this story and was expecting one of my more light hearted and cheerful ones, I am sorry to have lied to you. This is going to be a darker fic for the most part. So be warned.**

**Update should be within the next week. Depends on how school works out and how active and loving you readers are.**

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	2. Whispers in the Dark-Skillet

**Disclaimer: Any thing that resemble characters or places from the Avatar the Last Airbender series is completely not a coincidence. I meant to do that. Even though I don't own them. Any characters/places that don't resemble ATLA stuff is mine. Please don't get those two things mixed up. It might be the difference between me being broke or getting to keep those few dollars I have.  
Lu Ten: Thank Agni, she doesn't own me!  
Me: It seems therapy didn't help get rid of you.  
Lu Ten: You're stuck with me baby.  
Me: It must be stress from all that Sociology work. I'm going to give myself an ulcer from all this stress.  
Lu Ten: I'll make you stress balls!  
Me: I think you're going to give me an ulcer. Back on important things... I am so terribly sorry for taking so long to update this. School has been hectic with all of the work for my Sociology presentation, and papers and finals, and all that. I just haven't had the brain power or will to pop this one out. All the brain power needed for this thing has been on a short supply. I want to thank everyone who has worked with me through the break, and I thank you all for understanding and coming back for chapter two.  
Lu Ten: She's just sucking up for reviews.  
Me: Does anyone know a good shrink?**

Lu Ten clung to the fading trace of sunlight that trickled out of the crack in his cell wall. The setting sun outside his prison marked an end to another day. A dull spark sat on the tip of his finger as he carved yet another scratch into the water logged walls; the passing days nothing more than measurements of available sunlight. The tired prince leaned against the wall as his golden eyes strained to count his mark carved, unable to separate each line from the next. Days had passed into months as the prince lay nearly forgotten in his seclude cell; prisoners as well as Di Lee agents came and went. Prisoners were dragged out without care as one passed and another was brought down to occupy the cells. Agent Meyers' death shock the hidden fortress, and with his passing the attention on Lu Ten fell away until he appeared to be no other than a normal prisoner brought down for any number of charges. But while Lu Ten's name faded into the back of everyone's mind, as did Meyers, as a young Long Feng seized complete control over the scrambling Di Lee agents.

"I brought you dinner." The sweat voice drew Lu Ten from his disillusions. Lifting his eyes, he stared unaffected at the young woman before him; her features masked in the dark green light. The sound of an opening gate screeched against his ears as she entered. With strained eyes, he made out her frame dropping the tray of food before him; a bitter smell of onions and stale bread licking at his nose. "I hope you're hungry, I brought an extra piece of bread for you."

"Thank you," Lu Ten could feel the way his raspy words slid from his cracked lips. The woman, Jo Dee she called herself, had been hired to deliver food and medical care to the prisoners below. Yet other than a name, Lu Ten knew nothing of the woman he saw almost every other day. There were times whenever a new woman would enter into the cell, tray of food in her hands and the name Jo Dee on her lips. Lu Ten's tired eyes still struggled to make out features in the dull lighting. But his trained ears picked up the changes in the voice. The same dark hair, and deep thoughtless green eyes, same pale skin and name. But a different voice. Yet always the same story.

"Its no problem Lee," the woman's face was only a foot from his. "Havoc next door was release so it wasn't hard to sneak his extra piece of bread in for you. It really isn't that big of a deal."

A stab cut at Lu Ten's heart as he heard and understood the words coming from her mouth. After Meyers death, the prince had taken back up the Lee alias in a way to blend into the changing prisoners. His name had faded into the dark. All that remained of the once proud prince was his face, but even that was shrouded in bruises and overgrown facial hair.

"What was that noise earlier?" Lu Ten asked taking the piece of hardened bread in his shaky hands. Jo Dee lifted her head and for a moment Lu Ten could make out the worried expression that was so clear in the blinding darkness. The firebender couldn't be certain if his eyes had picked up on the change in her facial expression, but his ears definitely caught the sudden intake of breathe.

"Just a young man who has forgotten that Ba Sing Se is safe," Jo Dee answered quickly, her tone flat and without emotion or remorse.

"He was screaming about firebenders," Lu Ten pressed farther, daring risk it to find some truth behind the water logged prison.

"There are no firebenders in Ba Sing Se silly," Jo Dee's voice lost its rigid manner, and in seconds was smiling back the usual smile every Jo Dee wore when walking the prison block. "Don't you worry about that boy anymore Lee. He's been helped, and has realized that Ba Sing Se is safe, and that we are so lucky to have our walls to create order." She didn't say another word before leaving; the grinding of a door closing the only realization that he was once more alone.

Desperation clung to Lu Ten's heart as he fought to bring the flame on his finger back to life. The faint light of a sparking fire brought hope to his dreary state, but his inability to produce a light quickly dampened this hope. He brought his hands to his face, examining the way they had not set back properly. The Earth Kingdom's method for crushing dangerous firebenders hands was a barbarous and risky act, but one that payed good in the end. After four years of recovering in a damp cell, Lu Ten's ability to produce a large attack had quickly been stopped. The pinky finger on his right had set crippled in a sad deformed state. With a heavy heart, Lu Ten had long ago accepted that he would never be able to hold both of his Dao Swords properly ever again, might not ever firebender with the furious and power he had once had.

But all of these outcomes fell short, as Lu Ten reminded himself that he would never leave his cell. As long as the Di Lee controlled the city and the minds of those in it, Lu Ten would left as nothing more than an unnamed prisoner. The great impenetrable city was nothing more than a disillusion, where your mind was the property of someone with more power than you. A Distopia where if the Di Lee say two plus two equals five, than five is the answer.

Lu Ten rested against the wall of his cell, a lone dribble of water rolled from the ceiling above, and landed on the prince's head.

**-oOo-**

**Lu Ten: Why do you hate me?  
Me: I don't hate you. I dislike you, but I don't hate you. What makes you think that?  
Lu Ten: I'm in a dark prison cell. Where any second it might cave in and flood. My hand is messed up, and I apparently suck more at firebending that Zuko did at the age of six.  
Me: Why must you make fun of that boy? I thought you two were close?  
Lu Ten: We are. But that doesn't mean I can't use him in my analogies. They really do help explain things.  
Me: I have to explain this chapter. Please shut up.**

**Some explanations... the two plus two is five concept sprung from the novel "1984." I suggest everyone reads that now. You will have a new perspective on life afterwards, **

**Lu Ten: So in other words, she's saying if you don't read, you won't understand life, and she'll make fun of you.  
Me: How did you get that out of what I said.  
Lu Ten: The same way Zuko got Aang out from under Zhao's nose... it's a gift I have.  
Me: That was a... pretty interesting analogy. **

**Jet was briefly mentioned in this chapter, due to his importance a few chapters later. I wanted to use the mentioning of Jet to help place a timing on when these next few chapters take place, because it is such a big time jump from chapter one to now. At first I wanted Jet to be actually seen, being dragged into a cell while raving on about firebenders like a madman. But that idea didn't work the way I really wanted. Crazy Jet, just didn't fit the mood I wanted. So Jo Dee played a way to link the timing of Jet into the story, without going too far out of the way to include him. I imagine Lu hearing someone screaming about firebenders in BSS would make him curious. Of course, Jo Dee shuts him up in her Jo Dee fashion. (This is not the same Jo Dee that team Avatar deal with, just for the few who might have been confused.) **

**Another important, and actually the whole reason for making this chapter a separate thing from the second part, is Lu's injuries. These, along with the others he will receive shortly, will be a playing factor in the playing out of this story. **

**This chapter and the next were originally one, but due to the time difference between them, and the complete difference in chapter topics, they were split into two parts. This chapter, as well as the previous, was used mainly to set up the base for the remainder of this tale. The next chapter, or part two of this one, will be where the action and plot pickup. **

**Don't forget to review! **


	3. Echo-Trapt

**Disclaimer: I own no characters! Yay me!  
Lu Ten: We're back! Yay you!  
Me: Great. As if my life wasn't stressful enough.  
Lu Ten: What's wrong with you? Is it the computer issue.  
Me: Yes... *sigh* the plot line for this and so much other stuff is on that computer, and I can't get it to start up again. All that time spent on planning this thing, and I lost it all because of a fallen backpack and a badly plugged in power strip.  
Lu Ten: We'll get it working again. They got your little laptop up and running right. So the big one shouldn't be that big of a deal.  
Me: You have seen that computer?  
Lu Ten: Yes...  
Me: Than you know its autistic.  
Lu Ten: That's mean.  
Me: But so true... **

The shacking, and crumbling of Lu Ten's cell woke the prince from his disturbed slumber. With groggy eyes, he struggle to make out the forms of Di Lee agents as they rushed in one direction, the prisoners who had managed to escape their cells another, as the stone walls shock with the violence known only to an earthbender. Struggling to get to his feet in the rampage, Lu Ten made his way through piles of fallen stone towards the front of his cell. His dirt covered hands grasped the bars for support, as the ground under his feet rolled with the texture of water.

"Somebody let me out!" Lu Ten's screams were futile, with the escaping men paying no mind to the trapped prisoner.

"Anybody!" His voice seemed to carve at his throat as he yelled in vain. A violent set of coughs brought Lu Ten to his knees; the sudden drop unsettling the rising water at his feet. Raising his eyes, Lu Ten clearly made out the river of water that rose slowly from some leak outside his cell. Using the bars to regain his standing, Lu Ten breathed deeply.

The heat in Lu Ten's body grew to an intense burn that it had no experienced for years. His inner fire drew in the heat of the atmosphere, beads of sweat dripping down his brow as his inner fire sparked to life. His fingers gripped themselves tighter against the bars that held him physicals imprisoned; his desires for survival burned itself through his body, extending into the chipped finger-nailed hands that quickly sunk into the melting bars. The stone under his fingers crumbled away from the intense pressure that carved them hallow; the shaking of the earth sending them plummeting into the rising water around Lu Ten's feet. The stone gave way, taking the support Lu Ten had with them. Collapsing, Lu Ten struggled to expel the water that seeped into his open mouth. Jagged stones sliced themselves through the tattered remnants of Lu Ten's clothes, and he scrambled to his feet, murky water still flowing heavily around his feet.

"Is anyone here?" His screams echoed through through the deserted corridor, only to be lost by the collision of stones floors above him. Golden eyes struggled to search through the unstable setting, in hopes of finding another life in the mess. Echoing sounds as stones continued to grind and attack one another above, matched Lu Ten's heavy steps as he picked his way through the crumbling prison.

A violent cough racked through his body, bringing him down to his knees as the water rose and the dust stirred. Dirty water lashed at Lu Ten's chest from its unseen start, as it came halfway up his crawling position. Water and vomit fell from his mouth; it mixing with the forming river around him. His stomach burned with a collapsing pressure, gasped vibrated though his body, bouncing off the organs inside.

The ceiling above him gave way; fallen stones sending tidal waves in its wake. Lu Ten doze to the side, barely missing the raining debris. A large stone struck his side, gashing at the bruised skin under his garments. Dark red blood clumped against his green shirt. Lu Ten's eyes locked on the light coming from the crumbling hole above him. Shifting his knelling weight, the prince strained to make an advancement towards the light, only to find himself face down in the rushing water.

Grasping his side, Lu Ten took note of the blood trickling down his body. With an abandoning look at the light of his escape, the firebender dug his fingers into the stone around him, the support pulling him away from the crumbling area.

"Ahhhh!" His screams combined itself with the thumping of quickly moving feet above him; the only life he had seen since stepping foot out of his cage in years. Dropping his back against a remaining wall in the holding block minutes after he began his crawl to the spot, Lu Ten lifted his shirt to get a better look at the injuring underneath.

"Shit," the curse slid from his throat as he surveyed the damage. A wide gash cut a red line across his pale flesh, the missing layer of skin painfully bleeding, yet not deep enough to be fatal. Dropping his hand to his side, his heart stopped as they lased themselves though a soft, yet thin mess. His eyes lowered to gaze at the face of a young woman, her young face recognizable through the mask of horror, as being the woman who had delivered the prince his food day in and day out. Retracting his hand with a startle, his eyes quickly locked on the thick belt that wrapped around her waist.

Placing two fingers over the woman's eyes, he closed the lids, hiding her unfocused green eyes as his opposite hand reached over her form half buried under stone. A set of female screams sounded in the far distance. Gripping the belt, he pulled it from her waist, before bringing it to his body. If the prince had been the build he had been going into the prison now, the belt would never have served the purpose he needed. Yet; with the weight and muscle mass loss taking his solid and full build into that of a young lanky teen, the belt wrapped around his torso easily. Knotting the end firmly, he used the fabric as a bandage to keep the open wound both protected and covered.

Climbing to his feet, Lu Ten took his moment of a clear head and stable ground to make his advancement back towards the opening in the ceiling. Clinging to the unstable mountain of ruble, he heaved himself up the stack, feeling the breeze of moving air above him. Pebbles and small stones continued to sprinkle down around him, but the majority of the world around him stayed rooted and silent as the dead.

Minuted passed by as the prince continued in his climb, the flooding prison below him fell away as the opening grew closer. His fingers soon touched the dry floor of the level above him, the Earth beginning to shack with a violent attack once more. Hauling himself onto the second floor, he allowed himself a moment to glance back at the area below him; Jo Dee's horror struck face having disappeared into the water. Sighing, the prince scrambled to his feet.

Turning quickly to gain better idea as to where he was, disappointment sunk in as he took in the crumbling headquaters, so similar to the holding block below. Lu Ten's knees wobbled as the ground shock once more, but he regained his footing. Voice's, young and full of rage, bounced off the walls. Narrowing his eyes in the direction of the sound, Lu Ten found his senses increasing in strength as he looked between the hall where the rageful yells radiated from, before shifting his attention to the silent opposite.

Call it curiosity, or a desire for adventure, or fate, or even destiny as his father would put it. But something forced the prince to take the step towards the loud hallway. The youthful yells of children egging him on. He ran, his subconscious leading him in a direction his mind told him to retreat from. His body, beaten and bruised from abuse and malnutrition held, the bleeding at his side lessened.

When the prince would look back at this day, years from now, he would know that the Spirits were leading him into that room. They were leading him into the room, moments before a young tattooed child would enter chasing after a shared enemy.

The Spirits had returned to the missing prince his life, and destiny would bring him face to face with the Avatar under that lake, so that he could return a life as well.

**-oOo-**

**Long Authors Note, that's longer than actual chapter!**

**Lu Ten: Now that, was a dramatic cliff hanger.  
Me: I hate cliff hangers.  
Lu Ten: Than why did you leave one? Especially one like that? That was like... an evil placed to stop at. Having me come out and seeing that Avatar and Long Feng, but not letting me do anything. You bitch.  
Me: Hey! No name calling. And I'm sorry about the cliff hanger. It just seemed like the right place to end.  
Lu Ten: You were just being lazy.  
Me: No I wasn't.  
Lu Ten: Yes you were. You were too busy painting, and making cookies, and watching Blood+, and going to see the Hobbit, and writing trig equations on your hand for the final... its a wonder you managed to find time in your "busy life" for me.**

**Me: I was not writing equations on my hands.  
Lu Ten: LIAR! I watched you! You don't even deny the other things. It's true, you were procrastinating and being lazy.  
Me: So maybe I was. I did not expect this weekend to be as busy as I had originally planned.  
Lu Ten: Excuses.  
Me: I can still kill you.  
Lu Ten: Until next time! *If this horrid writer can even make time to come back*  
Me: I heard that!  
Lu Ten: You were meant to!**

**So, that Jo Dee died. What a shame. There were only like four dozen other girls, just like her in that city. But Jo Dee was special. So Jo Dee was killed in the destruction of Lake Laogai (**_**proper spelling). **_**Because the more I watched that episode, and trust me I'm on the fourth time watching this week, (**_**I don't know what time in over all**_**), in order to get the next scene correct, and I noticed the damage they do to that hideout. Like, walls are crashed through, and floors are ripped out, and people are thrown into walls, and Toph just carves her way though, and thinking on it now, I'm surprised they didn't manage to break all the way into the Crystal Catacombs with their rampage. Because, considering the large underground river down there (**_**Was Katara aware that there was a large body of water down there, before her and Aang went running away? It seems searching the place wasn't a good idea. She had nothing better to do!**_**) and the enormity of Lake Laogai, **_**and how many giant lakes are really in this city**_**, the two locations must have been close by. **

**But, back on track, Team Avatar did a number on the Di Lee headquarters during their visit. The fact that the cells holding Lu, as well as some other prisoners, are waterlogged and moldy and not very structural stable in my head, whenever Toph starts Rockalanching (_new word_) through floors, and walls, and ceilings, something was bound to break. Resulting in the accidental death of Jo Dee, as well as a few prisoners/Di Lee who were still downstairs, because there were screams one second, and quiet the next. **

**Accidental and/or unseen deaths are something that occurs frequently in the Avatar world, if you actually pay attention. I mean, Siege of the North people! Ba Sing Se fight and raining airships during the comet! Like all those firebenders lived. Tanks were dropped on the BSS ones, and the others fell to their death in flaming airships. I mean, team Sokka didn't clear every airship before they plowed them into each other. The first one yes, the others no. Fire Nation soldiers die a lot in the series, so I wanted to kill a few Di Lee. Because I can. Jo Dee just happened to die as well.**

**There was a whole lot of Jo Dee's under Lake L., and than they all got away safely right before anything happened? Wrong! You heard them running around in the mess for a moment. They all get out, minus that one Jo Dee, but I just wanted to make note of them. The Jo Dee's are an interesting concept, one I will be back to decipher using my sociology and psychology knowledge! Go Smarts!**

**Lu Ten was hurt even more in this chapter. For no reason, other than I wanted to write it. Plus, with these added injuries it will making his desire to push himself even more of a challenge and risk. But, as we have seen from all of the Royal Family, no matter how many times you get hit in the head with a boomerang, thrown out a building, set on fire, frozen, knocked unconscious, fall off a balloon, shot with an arrow, starve, get reset on fire, hit in the head once more, tackled, shot by lightning... a long other list of injuries... they keep going. The fire babies don't stop, no matter how much blood is gushing from their head. I'm surprised Zuko hasn't suffered brain damage from all the abuse he takes. Lu Ten is the same. You'll see him pull off some amazing thing, with injuries that most people would just stop with. I have no real explanation for this, other than the fact that whatever is in the Royal Family's blood streams, it makes them semi invincible.**

**Go look up 'Zuko injuries' onYoutube, and find that video of every time Zuko got hit, kicked, dropped, stabbed, shot at, set on fire, or gone through events that should have killed him. It is a fun few minute watch.**

**Until next time. I promise, from here on out, chapters will be longer, fuller and with a much less wait time in between. **


	4. Riot'- Three Days Grace

**Disclaimer: I don't own any characters present.  
I also want to thank all of my loyal followers for putting up with me. I meant to have this up sooner, but didn't realize how busy the winter break would be. Spent the first half painting Christmas presents, and the second half with my step sisters as they were down for the holiday. But here I am, and thank you everyone who reads and reviews. I love you all!  
Lu Ten: Look at you. All royal like. All hail the Princess of Fanfiction!  
Me: What are you doing?  
Lu Ten: Making fun on you. It's how I like to spend my weekends.  
Me: Why do I even bother with you? You're such a dreeb.  
Lu Ten: Relax your highness. You're going to blow a royal gasket.  
Me: I order you to shut up! NOW!  
Lu Ten: What do you think you are doing? I am not one of your subjects.  
Me: I banish you! Leave my sight now!  
Lu Ten: You an Azula would get along so well.  
Me: I'm ignoring you. On track though, I can't believe it took me this long to update. I've had this chapter written for a while now, just in two separate parts; one on the laptop and one in a notebook.  
Lu Ten: You were just being lazy. You do know that you've been spelling Dai Li wrong, THIS WHOLE TIME!  
Me: Ya and I thank **_**Kamil the Awesome**_** for pointing that out, but since I've been writing it as Di Lee for a while now, I'm going to continue to write it this way for this. Thank you **_**Kamil the Awesome,**_** for correcting my mistake. **

-oOo-

Lu Ten felt a sense of rage spread over his body from his high up position, as Long Feng stood proud in the dark room below, the two teens in close pursuit behind him barely catching his eyes as they narrowed on the man he had only seen a handful of times in the past, yet knew who the long haired man was. The prince stood on a large ledge, what seemed to be all that remained of the floor above where the trio stood. The twenty foot drop was enough space for Lu Ten to make out pieces of the arguments taking place below him as he took a step closer to the drop off.

Long Feng had taken his stance on the far side of the room from where he had entered; this location being on the opposite end of where Lu Ten stood. The prince smirk upon seeing his target so unprotected with the upwards assault that he would never see coming. Taking Long Feng to the pits of Hell where he belonged would not bring solace to the firebender, and Lu Ten was aware of this as he narrowed his eyes, yet that fact didn't seem to bother him. He took his stance ready to fire upon his adversary, ready to send the Di Lee agent where he was sure Meyers was waiting. The spark grew at the end of Lu Ten's fist as he took aim; his target's voice directed to the two men who had arrived sometime before Lu Ten had, stopping the burning attack.

"All right Avatar, you've caused me enough problems. This is your last chance. If you want your bison back." Long Feng's voice was forceful as it bounced off the cave walls. His words had an effect on the young teens, the youngest freezing momentarily as the sentence entered into his mind. The tattooed child rose what Lu Ten had first pictured as a long piece of wood, in the direction of the earthbender. The boy had his back to Lu Ten, but he was sure there was an intense glare etched into the boy's face, that matched the rage in his voice. Lu Ten brought himself out of his stance. His desire for murder were placed on halt, as he realized the pair below him needed information from the man, more than he needed to see him burning in Hell at the moment.

"You do have Appa." Lu Ten was stunned with the furiousness in the small child's voice. The twenty year old couldn't imagine the orange clothed child to be more than thirteen, yet the undertones of his voice spoke volumes of one who had seen the world, and all its cruelties. "Tell me where he is,"

"Agree to exit the city now," Long Feng remained calm as he spoke to the child as if they were discussing dinner plans, "and I'll wave all charges you and allow you to leave with your lost pet."

"You're in no position to bargain," Lu Ten's eyes were drawn to the brown haired teen, who had gone overlooked by the prince in his first sweep. The boy held in his hands a set of finely crafted hook swords, a pang of envy swept over Lu Ten as his fingers tightened as if they too held the familiar hilt of a blade in his own hands.

"Am I not," Long Feng smirked, his attention constantly locked on the bald child. Tension grew with the silence after his words; the pressure in the conflict hitting Lu Ten in his standing position. The situation screamed for him to intervene, for him to react, yet his body remained unmoving as the scene played out. Lu Ten's golden eyes watched the very movements below him, his ears picking up the sounds of movement around the cave, and his heart pounded like stone in his chest.

"Your definitely not," the voice of the young child answered.

"Jet," Long Feng grinned as if for a private joke, "the earth king has invited you to Lake Lougi."

The name spoken from Long Feng's mouth held to importance to the prince, the rest of the sentence on the other hand, affected more than just its intended target. The words hung in the air, as a fog set before Lu Ten's eyes. His fingers tightened until he was sure his palms would soon be bleeding along with his side. All thoughts escaped from his mind, the only focus a dull green light that spun in the back of his mind. Lu Ten's movement stopped, as he stood still on the crumbling ledge.

"I am honored to accept his invitation," the darker teen's voice seeped through Lu Ten's ears as if spoken in a distant dream. A male growl attached itself to the sentence, a young yelp of surprise following.

"Jet, it me! It's me, Aang," it was the child's voice that entered into Lu Ten's ears next as he picked up the conversation not meant for him, "you don't have to do this!" His words were pleading and short of breath, as the boy moved quickly to evade the weapons swinging from all sides at him.

"I am afraid he has no choice," Long Feng's words held a simple smirk to them.

This was his programming under Lake Lougi. To become motionless. It was silly really, what a few words and Long Feng's voice could do to him. He had seen what that sentence did, what it could do. Jo Dee's had found themselves silent and unthinking, obeying the next command given; prisoners had discovered themselves docile, no longer resisting; the young teen a floor before Lu Ten was unable to prevent himself from attacking his comrade with the simple sentence, and Lu Ten found himself unable to act upon the desire and instinct to attack.

"I'm your friend, Jet," the bald child, who now Lu Ten could name as Aang, tried fruitlessly to break his friend from the trance. "Look inside your heart! This isn't you!"

"Do your duty Jet," Long Feng's voice held a certain edge to it that Lu Ten could place as irritation. The prince shifted his golden eyes, the only movement that his body seemed to allow him to do, to look at the earthbender twenty feet or so from him.

"You don't have to do this," Aang moved with the freeness of air as he evaded the wild attacks. "This isn't you! Remember who you are Jet! Remember me! Remember Katara, and Sokka! Smellerbee, LongShot, the Duke, Pipsqueak! Remember your family Jet! Smellerbee and Longshot need you! They're waiting on you to return." The child's words echoed through Lu Ten's ears as well as Jet's without any reaction from either the intended or side party. Jet continued in his mindless assault. Lu Ten remained standing on the ledge as it crumbled away.

"You have a family waiting for you back home! They need you! They look up to you!" The child continued in what seemed to be a useless task. "Remember them Jet! Remember what the Fire Nation did to you! Remember the Freedom Fighters! You have to return to them! They're waiting for you! You're a Freedom Fighter, Jet! Don't let him win!"

The entranced boys broke in separate intervals during the boy's speech. Lu Ten found himself regaining his consciousness moments before the tan boy did. A cold sweat had begun to break out along his forehead

"You have to stay safe," Zuko had whispered into his ear on the day Lu Ten had set off for war with his father; four years ago. "You have to come home to us. I'll be waiting for you to return. I promise!"

Lu Ten's fist clinched back together of their own doing as the familiar quickly filled in where the momentary emptiness had taken space. It had been years since he had last laid eyes on his cousin and father, or any of his family for that matter, and that blame rested on the shoulders of the agent responsible for his capture, and the one who had seen to keeping him locked away forgotten in a moldy cell. A twelve year old boy had made a promise to wait for his cousin's return; a promise that should have been filled long ago.

Golden eyes locked on the startled Long Feng as the tan boy who had been referred to as Jet, turned his gaze towards him. Two separate, yet equally rage felt screams declared war on the earthbender. The sword in Jet's left hand found itself flying toward Long Feng with deadly force. The fire at the base of Lu Ten's fists fought past the deprivation it had suffered though, and quickly directed itself towards the earthbender. His flames grew in intensity as the traveled, the sheer power behind Lu Ten's rage seeming to propel them along. Hook swords vanished in the whip of fire that shot over the boy's head as the two collided together at the base of where Long Feng had been standing moments ago.

The smoke in the air disappeared; the trio against Long Feng glaring in frustration as the stone column rose from the assault, a defrayed and bleeding Long Feng at the top. Soot clung to his burnt robs, a thin river of blood dripping from where the sword had sliced his too slow moving arm.

"You foolish boys," Long Feng lifted his eyes as he took note of the previously unknown presence in the room. "You all will pay for this! I will see to your demise!" With that, the man turned his back towards the group, dashing through a large circular hole behind where his platform had landed. Lu Ten broke into a run, tracing his steps along the crumbling cat walk; the eyes of the two teens on his back as he picked his steps in his run.

The stone gave way under his footing, as the ledge crumbled away with Lu Ten on it. The exit Long Feng had taken was only fifteen feet from him, whenever Lu Ten fell through the stone as if he was cracking ice. His fingers dug for a holding, but found none as his body collided with the steep inward slope of the cave wall. The world spun over itself countless times as rolled roughly; the ground moving close fast before disappearing back into the room above.

Lu Ten stopped his roll when he collided roughly with a newly found solid wall, the wall beneath him having one into a flat horizontal level. The prince pulled himself from his position on his stomach, as he watched the floor below grow closer as he rode down in what appeared to be a dumbwaiter made of stone. Pulling himself to his feet, Lu Ten used the wall that had stopped his fall as support as he watched the child named Aang move his arms in a lowering position, in sync with the speed at which the platform descended.

The door from which the teens had entered opened, a large group swarming into the room as Lu Ten stepped onto the solid floor. His balance faltered slightly, before he found a blue clad shoulder under his arm. Lu Ten lifted his gaze to set on the blue eyed teen who had entered with the rest.

"What's going on Aang?" Said blue eyed teen asked shifting his eyes from the man he was supporting and the bald child. "Where's Long Feng?"

"He got away," Jet shock his head as he glared untrusting at Lu Ten. "Would you care to explain who you are?"

"After we get out of here please," Lu Ten sighed trying to keep his knees from buckling. "It will only be a matter of moments before Long Feng informs the Di Li of our location, and in my present state, I am unable to provide much fire power."

"Whoever he is," Lu Ten found his eyes glued to the smaller member in the room, a darker haired girl, "he's got a point. This whole place is about to come down, and we don't want to get caught in a fight down here."

"We still need to find Appa," Aang fists tightened as he shifted his eyes towards Lu Ten. "You wouldn't happen to know where a room large enough to hide a flying bison could be."

"Do I look like I have the blue prints of this place in my head?" Lu Ten rolled his eyes as he allowed his weight to rest on the darker teens shoulder. "Unless you're looking for the prison cell, I'm pretty lost." Aang's eyes seemed to dim slightly at the words. Lu Ten sighed. "There's a large room close to the surface. I heard the agents talking about some monster in it."

"If we go quickly," all eyes moved to the blue eyes girl that shared a very similar appearance to the boy holding Lu Ten up, "we can swing by this room on our way out."

"It's the best shot we have," Aang nodded before turning his gaze to land on a couple that stood slightly apart from the others. "Smellerbee, Longshot, you two don't have to stay. You can take this chance to escape. You too Jet."

"We aren't leaving you behind," the bushy haired one replied. Her voice was definitely female, but the prince found it hard to tell under the untidy bush of hair. The boy beside her nodded in agreement.

"We're sticking this out until the end," Jet replied. He cast a quick smile towards the blue eyes girl, before narrowing his eyes once more in Lu Ten's general direction. The others of the group didn't seem to notice his changing of eyes.

"Then we better get going," Aang grinned. "Can you lead the way?

Lu Ten nodded. He pulled his arm from the boys shoulder. Straighten his back; Lu Ten heard something pop as he guided the group from the rubble. The path he had taken to get to the location from the jail cell played back in his mind, mixing and changing as he tried to piece together a direction in which the room would most likely be located. They walked for at least fifteen minutes, having stumbled upon a group of attacking Di Le agents only twice.

-oOo-

The room had turned out to be a bust, as it was hallow minus the six pairs of shackles that laid on the ground; their shattered edges sharp with the engrain of an overused sword. Lu Ten took note of the way the cuts in the metal ran; the marks similar to the damage he could once cause with a sharp pair of blades. The marks he would no longer be able to create the same.

His slight second of self-pity was disrupted as the children around him started moving towards the direction of a nearby exit. Shaking his head, Lu Ten followed them; the blade markings a distant thought in the back of his mind as he felt the sun's pull, tugging him through the stone ceiling.

"Watch out!"

The voice called out only a second too late, as a stone hand caught itself around Lu Ten's legs; bringing him knelling to his knees. The lone agent stepped from the shadows of the crumbling building. His ungloved hand gripped itself into a fist; the stone glove around Lu Ten's ankle repeating the movement. A sharp scream escaped under his breath as he tried to pry the glove from his leg. The fingers dug through the tattered remains of his pants, pinching the skin underneath.

Yet, as soon as the pressure attacked, it disappeared as the stone hand crumbled away from its grip. Lifting his eyes, Lu Ten spotted the Di Lee agent, lying face down on the ground, his body wet. The black haired girl above him; her own fist covered in stone.

"Are you alright?" Lu Ten followed the voice, landing his eyes on the blue eyed girl; water dripping from around her fingers. "Can you stand?"

"I'm alright," Lu Ten lied through gritted teeth. Tossing his weight, Lu Ten tried to stand. He found himself up right for all of three seconds before his ankle shock under him. His fall was prevented by the two warriors who seemed to follow Jet. "Maybe not as alright as I could be."

"We'll have to support his weight," the blue eyed boy answered putting himself beside the girl under his left arm. "If you hop, we can help keep you steady."

"Why don't we just leave him?" Jet pouted.

"We don't leave team mates behind," Aang answered; bitterness licking at his voice.

"He's not a team mate," Jet argued, "He's a firebender!"

"A firebender who saved your life!" Aang growled back. The boy stepped closer to the teen; the two feet difference in their height doing nothing to stop Aang's challenge. "We don't leave anyone behind."

-oOo-

The sight of the sun's harsh glares was as much a gift to Lu Ten, as it was a torment. Its UV's seared into his paper like skin; his veins blue lines against his pale skin. His golden eyes were unable to readjust to the light he had been deprived of for years, Exhaustion quickly set in as his unknown rescuers supported his weight in the run. The thundering of colliding stone racked against hi ears as the earth beneath his feet shock. The young girl helping to support his left side stumbled; her false footing bringing the prince down as well as the two other boys with her.

Lu Ten's eyes shifted through the fallen bodies on him that seemed to suck the air from his lungs with their weight. Raising platform shot into the air, forming a three sided box around the thrown together team. Di Lee agents stood at the top of the stone walls; their features just out of the prince's eyesight. Long Feng's glares seared through the members as he glared down at them as if they were insects needing to be squashed under his thickly souled boot.

A loud chirping of a foreign animal filled the spaced were the grinding of stones has ceased. The winged animal flew from the shoulders off Aang, and headed directly for the sun shining down on them. His eyes watered lightly as he looked into the light; struggling to keep his eyes on the creature as its body became enveloped in the light. Moments passed, before the winged animal was nothing more than a small black dot.

A distant growl unstable the Di Lee agents more than any movement of the Earth could have. The shrinking speck in the sky quickly shifted its course, growing much larger than it had vanished. The beast that appeared in the sky was much larger than the lemur that had first flown off the advancing beast let a bellow escape from its mouth s it drove its horned head into the center of the wall before them. The bison continued in its destruction rampage as it demolished the remaining walls.

The black aired girl, Toph, thrusts her fist forward, bringing a shield of stone to protect them from the falling debris. Lu Ten breathe easier as the boys on top of him scrambled to get off. Jet's hand reluctantly came down to help pull him to his feet, before placing himself back under his arm supportively. The other boy, LongShot, held his hand down to pull Smellerbee to her feet as the stones ceased to fall around them.

"I should have taken care of you when I had the chance," Long Feng remarked; his eyes locked on the landing bison. The earthbender angrily threw himself at the beast. The bison opened its mouth as the agent flew towards him. Lu Ten gulped in fear and anticipation of the creature at the thought of it swallowing Long Feng; the man he hated with a passion. Only for the animal to merely bit his teeth down on the man's le, before tossing him into the lake; where he skirted across the water as if a stone from a child's hand. Lu Ten watched with tiring eyes as the remaining members of the Di Lee scattered from under the rubble in a desperate attempt to escape the beast's anger.

"Let's go old man," Jet growled as he shifted Lu Ten's weight on his shoulder; LongShot placed himself on the other side without a word.

"I'm twenty-five for Agni's sake," Lu Ten snickered; the action sending a ripple of pain through his ribs as the trio made their advancement towards the bison, where the other members already were.

"You look a Hell of a lot worse than twenty-five," Smellerbee snickered as she entertained herself around LongShot.

"Prison young Lady," Lu Ten answered.

"Don't talk to him Smellerbee," Jet narrowed his eyes at the man he supported, "he's one of them."

"Long Feng brainwashed you! Didn't he?" The four lifted their eyes from their argument to see Toph yelling at the blue eyed boy.

"I think we are missing an important conversation," LongShot tilted his head towards the group; his voice solid and straight as he spoke his first words since Lu Ten had met him.

"Let 'em figure out what we are doing next," Smellerbee shifted her eyes from the boys to Lu Ten, "we need to get him a place to sit down, before he passes out."

"He's fine," Jet rolled his eyes.

"I don't think so," Smellerbee shock Lu Ten slightly as his head dropped suddenly. "We need help over here! He's down!"

**-oOo-**

**Lu Ten: What a crappy way to drop this chapter off? Just leave me unconscious, randomly, so you don't have to write the conversation they have about talking to the Earth King? Do I even get to be part of that plan!  
Me: Yes… Maybe… No. I leave you asleep for a while. It's quieter this way.  
Lu Ten: Now that's just rude.  
Me: Time for some explaining!**

**Lu Ten's little Di Lee brainwash issue was a little cheesy for me, as I will go back upon completeing further chapters to fix/treak/and make it less awkward. That one part was the block in getting this chapter done, so I set it aside as is. For now!**

**Lu Ten passing out at the end seemed a little sudden, but with the combined excitments/stress from all the escaping and attacking, and taking into account the fact that he is in fact bleeding, even though he has forgotten this fact, and the Di Lee agent did hurt his ankle. So Lu Ten took a much needed nap. A few hours, to miss all the excitement of forcing me to include his involvement with "Plan Stupid King." **

**Lu Ten: Lazy.  
Me: Shut up!  
Lu Ten: Nope. Now eat your **_**Natella**_**!  
Me: Until Next Time! Review! Tell me thoughts! With this chapter over, finally, I can begin working on the parts that don't revolve around what happens in the show.  
Lu Ten: Yay. You can be original now!  
Me: Go Die.**


	5. Human- Jon Mclaughin

**Disclaimer: I own no characters.  
Lu Ten: She's back! Finally!  
Me: Someone is cranky. What's wrong?  
Lu Ten: You take forever to update.  
Me: I'm sorry. But I can explain…  
Lu Ten: That's what you always say.  
Me: I had a lot of school work.  
Lu Ten: Really?  
Me: Really. I had eighty some pages of "Pride and Prejudice" to read, "Gulliver's Travels," was another six chapters that I had to finish this week, and I am so far behind on "The Hobbit," that I don't think I'll be able to actually read that one, until I can get those other two done. Trig homework was mountains, and family issues took up way too much time.  
Lu Ten: You found time to watch "The Vile" and "Pride and Prejudice"!  
Me: While I was typing this… Besides… Greg Cipes was in "Vile."  
Lu Ten: That explains so much… "Pride and Prejudice" was a five hour movie!  
Me: That I watched in intervals, and worked on this to keep my mind from falling asleep. **

-oOo-

"He's waking up," the light, young voice of a female was the first sound that graced his ears, as he awoke.

"Good," a much stronger, yet similar voice as the female before, voice responded, "Because he owes us a couple of answers."

Lu Ten could feel the intense glare of the sun through the open windows on the back of his eyelids, as it illuminated the very veins in the skin. His body itself seemed to grow and heal itself as it took in the deprived light like a flower after a winter's storm. He experimentally moved his fingers as his hands, sighing as they brushed against and grasped the soft fabric under them with ease.

"Is he going to stay like that, or start moving soon?" A male voice brought Lu Ten out of his basking in the sun, long enough for him to crack his eyelids open far enough to make out the group of kids that were scattered around the room; its tan walls clad in green fabric.

"It might take some time," Lu Ten's golden eyes shifted to land on the small dark haired girl, her blind face just inches from him, as she placed a soft hand over his shoulder; her thin fingers sliding between the tears in his sleeves as they brushed against his bruised skin. "His heartbeat is steady, which is a lot better than a few hours ago, but he's got a ways to go until he's up and going."

"You're knowledge of the medical field is amazing Toph." His eyes quickly followed the sound of the voice and found himself looking, through squinted eyes at the brown haired boy who had come so close to death under that lake.

"Look Wheaty," Toph kept her face unseeing on Lu Ten, as she spoke to who Lu Ten figured was the brown haired teen, "I kick ass, not bandage them up. That's SugarQueen's field of expertise. Remember that next time you smart off."

"Are we even sure helping this guy is really a smart idea?" it was in that moment that Lu Ten noticed the Water Tribe male leaning along the wall; who seemed to have avoided being found in the Prince's line of vision until that moment. His blue eyes were narrowed suspiciously at the laying prince.

"Why wouldn't it be?" The bald child, Aang spoke; the boy prodding and pocking at Lu Ten's curiosity.

"He's a firebender," the Water Tribe boy threw his hands into the air. "Every time we run into a firebender, something always goes bad and someone gets burnt, a something blows up. We just got the Earth King on our side, and Long Feng is out of our hair. I don't want to ruin our good running with the Earth King before we even have a chance to plan out the invasion."

"Sokka's got a point," the bushy haired teen spoke. "He's a firebender, and all of them are nothing but monsters. What do you want to do? Keep him as a pet?"

"He saved your life Jet," the orange clad child spoke.

"He's also a firebender," Jet continued, earning a nod from each of the two who seemed to follow him around. "We helped him out of that lake because it was the right thing to help. I've repaid the debt I owed him for saving me. A life for a life returned. Now I owe him nothing, so there's no reason to keep him around. Plus, he's a firebender. Do you think he'll be all happy to see us if he wakes up? I can guarantee you; he isn't going to be a nice as we were."

"What are you going to do Jet," he waterbender who stood on the other side of the bed Lu Ten laid on, "attack an injured man, who saved your life. All because of something as petty as where he's from. I hate the Fire Nation, just as much as you do, but you are missing one crucial part in all this. The Di Lee had him captive as well."

"Because there is no war in Ba Sing Se!" Jet growled, his voice raised above all others. "Up until a few hours ago, there wasn't any war in Ba Sing Se. Or firebenders for that matter. But obviously, there was all a lie. He's a firebender! The Di Lee tried to cover it up. Just like they did with…"

"With what?" The waterbender asked, her hands placed on her hips, as if they had found themselves there time after time.

"It's fuzzy," Jet frowned, his arms crossed over his chest.

"Just an incident down in the Lower Ring," Smellerbee answered. "Which, considering everything we've learned, just backs up the fact that he wasn't a firebender. Otherwise, the Di Lee would have picked them up, just like this guy."

"What are you two talking up?" The waterbender asked.

"Nothing," Jet muttered.

"I think you are missing a very important fact," the bald boy spoke, "whoever he is, he's clearly not against us. Otherwise, he would have attacked us under that lake."

"Maybe he's just waiting for a good time to attack," Jet responded with a shrug.

"Or maybe," the blind girl turned from Lu Ten, her hand leaving his shoulder, "we could just ask him; seeing as how he's been awake for a while now."

Lu Ten could no longer keep his eyes closed, as the heat of mixed glares casted themselves onto his face. Cracking his eyes farther apart, he remained on his back as he took in all eyes now upon him. With a groan, he slide himself into an upright position; sharp pain lacing through his ribs. His golden eyes left the group surrounding him long enough to glace at open tunic that hung off his frame; the bruises and cuts now nothing more than light white scars. He ran his hand, no longer aching as it had, over the skin.

"I did the best I could healing you," the waterbender spoke beside him. "You'll need to take it easy for a while, but I stopped most of the bleeding and bruises. I couldn't do much for your hand through. That's more than I know how to fix."

"That's fine," Lu Ten responded. "Thank you."

"For what," the armor clad teen responded; the stalk of wheat in his mouth held tight in a frown.

"For getting me out of that Hell hole for one," Lu Ten answered. "And for fixing me up. I'm in your debt."

"It wasn't a big deal," she shrugged. "Just glad to help."

"Oh no Katara," his eyes moved back to the Water Tribe teen, "he is in our debt."

"Lay off him Sokka," the youngest girl spoke. Lu Ten felt a pang of recognition as he stared at the girl, he was quite positive he had already made the acquaintance of. His golden eyes locked onto the unseeing murky green pair that gazed towards him.

"What," the teen, Sokka spoke. "I wasn't asking for much. Just a name."

"That's fair," Lu Ten responded. "Name's Lu…" Lu Ten stopped for a second as all eyes landed on him. Name? Name? Nothing was coming to him that would fix the slight slip up he had made. The prince scolded himself for his carelessness. There was a whole ocean full of names that he could have dawned, yet he had begun to answer with his own. With a sigh, Lu Ten finished. "Lu. Just Lu."

"Is he lying?" The tattooed child, he seemed to be contributing little at the moment, asked, his eyes on the blind girl.

"Not really," the blind girl smirked.

"What does that mean?" The Water Tribe boy asked irritation on his lips.

"It means that, _Just Lu_," she smirked, "is telling the truth."

"Lu," Lu Ten chuckled. "Do I know you?" He asked pointing towards the girl, before realizing that she wouldn't be able to see his action.

"If you can't remember Princess," she crossed her arms over her chest, sarcasm dripping off her words, "than I don't think you deserve to know me."

"Little BadgerMole! Good to see you too Toph." Lu Ten snickered as he connected the dots as to where he had seen the blind earthbender from. "I imagine this means you solved your parental issues?"

"Please," Toph waved her hand, "I left those people. What about you? You solved you're issue with… well, everything?"

"Not really," he answered, "went from one cave in, to well… another. Out of the fire and into the frying pan, and all that."

"What are the two of you talking about?" The Water Tribe boy narrowed his eyes at both the Fire Nation Prince and the earthbender.

"None of your concern Snoozles," Toph turned her smirk onto the teen. "Just old inmates catching up."

"Well now that you have caught up," the teen continued, "we would appreciate it, if he told us who he is."

"Unless you want to Toph?" The other teenage boy spoke. "Because you two seem to know each other very well."

"I'd watch your tone Jet," Toph landed her unseeing eyes directly onto the teen. "Otherwise the firebender won't be the only problem on your hands."

"In hope of not starting a fight," the waterbender stepped between the two, placing her palms towards each of them as if to signal their ceasing in the argument; the red haired girl placed a firm but reassuring hand on the teen's shoulder. "Let's just change the subject. He's told us his name; it's only fair if we tell him ours.

"Are you sure that's a good idea Katara?" The red haired girl, who still kept a grip on the other teens shoulder, asked.

"You just told him her name, Smells," Toph grinned.

"You already know Toph. My name's Katara," the waterbender introduced the group around her, rambling off their names. Lu Ten followed her finger as she pointed out each of the group, every name and face finding a place in his mind, until she landed on the final child standing before him.

The young boy couldn't have been more than thirteen, yet he stood with a straight back that resembled one who had burdened a huge weight to early. But it wasn't the solid stance with which the boy stood that drew Lu Ten's tired eyes onto him. It was the bright blue tattoo that ran from the center of his forehead and extended behind him, only to parade down his unclothed arms and lace to where his wrist became his hand. What he could not see of the design, was hidden behind a baggy yellow and orange garment that Lu Ten knew did not belong to the Earth Kingdom where they current were. Or the blues that the tanned siblings sported.

"And this," Katara motioned towards the tattooed boy in question, "is Aang."

"Those tattoos," Lu Ten heard the words leave his mouth, "I've seen them. In a book once." The question was meant for his-self, but all of those present perked up at the words. "And in that cave. That burst of air. You're an airbender."

Aang bit his lower lip and lowered his gaze.

"There aren't any more airbenders. They've been gone for a hundred years. The same time the Avatar dis… disappeared." Lu Ten narrowed his eyes at the boy. The thin and short child before him, that had propelled agents back with a gust of wind, lifted hid endlessly grey eyes to meet the golden pair that belonged to the Prince. "And the water. Those rocks. You're the Avatar."

"What?" The stuttering from Sokka's direction drew the attention away from the Avatar and unknown Prince. His voice broke as he stuttered. "Of course he's not the Avatar. You're crazy. Why would you even think that? Lack of sun while in jail must of messed with your mind."

"What are you going on about Snoozles," Toph raised a curious eyebrow; the frown on her face highlighting her annoyance with the older boy. "Are you telling me this whole time, you were lying about Aang being Mr. All Powerful Glow Master? Now that's what I call a con job."

"No," Sokka piercingly growled at the earthbender as she couldn't see the glare that positioned itself over his face. "I just didn't want a firebender to know who Aang is. I've learned from past experiances, that when the wrong people find out about Aang being the Mr. All Powerful Glow Master, we end up burnt!"

"Or we have to run for our lives," Katara shrugged. "Either way, whenever the Avatar card slips out, it's either a place to stay or fire balls for breakfast."

"And sometimes both," Sokka continued. "But whenever it leaks out about us being somewhere, there's always fireballs at the end of the day. And we haven't seen Prince Zuko in a while now. I would like to keep it that way."

"Prince Zuko?" Lu Ten drew the conversation away from its current topic. "What do you mean Prince Zuko?"

"Ya know," Sokka waved a hand about, "angry jerk that sets things angrily on fire. I'm going to stop talking about him though, because anymore and I'm pretty sure that's asking the universe to jinx our good run."

"I highly doubt he's in the city," Katara shrugged a single shoulder. "That would involve not setting something on fire."

"No more talking about him," Sokka lifted himself from the wall he had been leaning against. He turned a scrutinize eye onto Lu Ten. "Now that you know who we are, and you know who Aang is, it's time for you to talk. Who are you? What where you doing under Lake Lougi? What did the Di Lee want from you? How were you even in Ba Sing Se to begin with?"

"That's a lot of questions," Lu Ten rubbed the back of his head. The others in the room seemed to have gravitated closer to him with each question Sokka threw. With the distance close, the Prince was able to make out just how young the members in the room were. The seeming eldest, no more than the age his own cousin would be at the moment. The youngest, around the age his cousin had been, the last time Lu Ten had seen him.

Bitterness sank into him, as he counted the years he would have been held captive, and took in the changes in the world around him. He was in Ba Sing Se, the great city of the Earth Kingdom, and the walls where covered in green. An educated irritation nicked at his heart as he realized that through it all, Ba Sing Se still stood. Yet, as quickly as that national pride and foreign hatred appeared, they were fast replaced with relief. Relief that the great city had withstood it all.

But just as these emotions came and went, hearing his cousin's name tossed so carelessly through a conversation left the prince unable to register just what to make of it. An intense desire was burning inside of him to inquire more into the subject, but he knew that stepping too far would bring about more questions than he felt he had the strength to answer. If they could say Zuko's name with such discord and rage, than admitting to being related by blood to said teen would provide him with no farther information as to the world outside of Lake Lougi. Instead, Lu Ten buckled down his desire to know, and pressed through as if the name meant nothing more to him than it would any other Fire Nation citizen.

"I've got one question for you first," Lu Ten narrowed his eyes to Sokka. "What's the status of the war? Is the Fire Nation still trying to get into the city?"

"That's more than one question," Sokka snickered. "But fine. War's still going. And if you're talking about Princess Azula's little drill idea, no, we stopped that. I don't think you Fire Nation are going to be trying to break the walls any time soon."

"What is Princess Azula doing in the Earth Kingdom?" Hearing his niece's name in the mix of trouble did not come as big of a surprise as it had with hearing Zuko's. Of course, knowing that both of his cousin's were brought into the horror which is war, way too early, did not sit with him.

"Don't know." Sokka growled. "That's none of your concern though. You need to worry about yourself. So I suggest, you answer the questions. Why where you under that lake?"

"Don't know," Lu Ten lied, irritation on his words. "Postcard said it was a lovely place."

Toph chuckled darkly as she sat on the bed Lu Ten was on. All eyes, including those of Aang and Katara; who had been kind towards him so far, narrowed at the two of them.

"He's not lying," Toph answered. "He really doesn't know why he was there."

"How could he not know?" Jet growled. "He's a firebender! The Di Lee had a reason for taking him! He's got to be up to something."

"Maybe he isn't," Aang spoke. The boy stepping closer into the conversation he seemed content to just listen to. "What's the chance that the Di Lee did catch him, simply because he was a firebender? If they were trying to keep peace and cover up the war, keeping a firebender away from everyone would be a good start."

"He's got a point," Katara defended.

"Fine," Jet growled. "But what was he doing so near Ba Sing Se though?"

"Ever heard of the 600 Day Siege," Lu Ten shrugged, before biting his lip. The filter in his mind just wasn't keeping anything back today.

"He's a soldier!" Jet shrieked. The hold Smellerbee and Longshot held on him was barely enough to keep him from throwing himself onto him. Ciaos erupted as they tried to restrain Jet, who was making it his mission to murder Lu Ten with his bare hands. Smellerbee and Longshot found themselves toppled over onto the ground, Sokka stepping on them as he wrestled on of Jet's arms, Aang holding the other. The struggle went on for a few moments before Jet found himself frozen to the wall, the others topple onto the ground.

"Will you all calm down?" Katara yelled, her hands flying to her hips.

"Why am I the one frozen to a wall?" Jet bellowed.

"Because you started it," Katara answered simply.

"He started it!"

"Did not," Lu Ten shrugged his shoulders.

"You do know," Toph smirked at him, "that you're arguing with a crazy person?"

"I am not crazy!" Jet directed his yells towards Toph.

"Sure you're not," Toph's grin grew wider; "I can tell you're lying."

The stream of curses that exited Jet's mouth was silenced by a knock on the door. All eyes focused on the steady sound coming from the opposite room. Sokka stood, before disappearing into another room. The knocking stopped with the crack of a door, and all stood silent listening to a mumble of the conversations. A few minutes later, the teen reentered the room, a scroll in his hands.

"What is it Sokka?" Aang asked.

"A request from the Earth King," he responded handing the document to his sister. "It says they found some stuff while going through Long Feng's office that they want us to see."

"What happened to Long Feng?" Lu Ten inquired, wondering how long he had been out.

"He's long gone," Sokka answered the humor no longer in his voice. "It says he wants the four of us there immediately though. Whatever they found, it can't be good."

"Smellerbee," Katara turned towards the girl, "can I trust you guys to watch Lu while we're gone. It shouldn't be long."

"I had plans," Jet growled from his place on the wall.

"Like what Jet," Smellerbee frowned at him.

"I was going to find Lee," Jet replied. "And punch him."

"We'll gladly watch him for you," he replied glaring deeper into Jet.

"Behave," Sokka pointed his finger threaten towards Lu Ten. "If you cause any trouble, I will hurt you."

"Relax Sokka," Toph's voice was tart as she spoke, "Lu will be the perfect little firebender. Behave Lu."

"Sure," Lu Ten replied.

Sokka sent a glance at the three that were to leave with them. "We'll be back as soon as we can."

"Have fun," Smellerbee spoke as the four of them left the room.

"Now, can somebody get me down?" Jet asked; still frozen to the wall.

"No problem," Lu Ten answered as he stood. A sharp pain rushed over his body momentarily, but quickly settled away. His hands heated up enough for them to glow; the spark on his still injured left hand substantially cooler than the other.

-oOo-

**EDIT 3/11/2013: Was pointed out to me that Lu didn't show any reaction to learning who Aang was. He would have pieced together everything, so I fixed that. **

**So. Believe it or not, but I have been working on this thing, almost all day. Started at noon on Saturday, and between everything going on, finished it about nine that night, and managed to touch it all up and upload it about one, Sunday morning. Got distracted with a mess of things; chores, a van that wouldn't start, family stuff, being a hair model for like four hours as my hair got played with, doing this really entertaining RP/writing thing, and so on. So I am so happy to finally get this up. **

**Some things need to be cleared up. In order of importance.**

**This chapter occurs between whenever they took out Long Feng and got the Earth King in control, yet before the scene whenever the GAang all get those letters and info concerning them. It would have taken a few hours for them to find and go through all of Long Feng's stuff, so I don't see them getting the Earth King all situated, and then just having those important papers found on Long Feng's desk. So there is a waiting period between those moments.**

**A long enough wait, for them to run home and check on their new firebending friend; which they left in the care of Smellerbee, LongShot, and Jet. Well, it was more like they left him and Jet, in Long and Bee's care. I don't see Lu being much help in the Earth King issue, for many reasons, so I simply knocked him out, and had him sit that mess out. **

**Yes, Toph and Lu Ten have met before. This was originally an idea that t-rex989, **_**sup buddy**_**, wanted in the fic. And as he requested that I write this, it was added. Their experience together wasn't very expanded upon, mainly because I hate it when huge back stories are just thrown in the audience's face, when they have no real development to the current part of the chapter. But, does Toph know who Lu Ten really is? That is the main question. That little history is kept just hinted at. For now… later on in this, that meeting will be brought up and worked on. **

**I might possibly work on a side fic to this, which does relate to the Toph/Lu meeting. **_**If anyone is interested in reading, let me know. **_**If not, than I will just wait to expand upon it later in this fic. Whenever I see fit.**

**At the beginning, I know it is a bit annoying, how no one is named. That was mainly done, because this fic centers on Lu Ten, and he just woke up, not knowing anyone. So with it from semi-Lu Ten POV, naming everyone just didn't seem right. As he pieces together who everyone is, they are given their names.**

**The Jet/Lee issue going on is at the moment just a side track. Later on, this will bring much joy to the life of Lu. Only for the fact that it would be too sad if I didn't. But, on track with the story… Jet makes a slight discovery concerning firebenders in this chapter. If the Di Lee had a firebender in their cave, and they left Lee alone, than Lee obviously wasn't a firebender! Jet Logic! We all know that Lee is really a firebender, but Jet doesn't need to know that at the moment.**

**In the original draft of this chapter, Lu was going to us the nickname Lee. Yet, upon though that idea was cast aside. I figured placing the name Lee on a firebender, would trigger something in Jet, and he'll go storming off to the Lower Ring in search of his stalker obsession. So the name Lee was canceled.**

**I also was planning on having the Zuko line brought in. They were going to make a comment about how he wasn't like either Zuko or Azula, mainly because he hadn't tried to kill him, but that idea hit some road blocks. Any mention of Zuko here, ended up talking about a certain scar. And certain scar conversations let to Jet making some unwanted comparisons. And all of this ended with him storming off to find Lee. If you give a pig a pancake… so Zuko was not meant to be spoken.**

**Azula worked her way into here, mainly by accident. When Lu asks about the Fire Nation trying to get into the city, I thought about their most recent attack lead by Ozai's Angles. So of course, Azula gets ever so briefly mentioned. But Jet doesn't make connections and run off down town upon hearing that name. **

**Anything to keep him from connecting Lee to Zuko. Not the time for that.**

**Yes, Lu can still firebend. They crushed his hands, not his inner fire! But with this whole hand crushing thing, his left hand isn't as powerful as it once was. Draw back for him.**

**Stay tuned for next time! Team Avatar must decide rather to face the separation facing them, or stay together, Toph and Lu Ten have a heart to heart and secrets are revealed, chance encounters possibly bring relatives together, a new enemy enters the city, good-byes are said, decision are made, and Smellerbee learns what it's like to babysit a bunch of idiots. **

**3,778 Words!**


	6. Comatose- Skillet

**Disclaimer: I own nobody.  
Lu Ten: Enough chits chatting. Onto the next chapter!  
Me: Chapter 6! Comatose!  
Heads up, the first section of this chapter takes place after Team Avatar learns about their letters, but before the scene where they all split apart at Kuie's place and learn that the awesome Kyoshi Warriors have dropped by. I imagined there would have been a bit of a waiting period in order to get tings ready before they all rushed away. And I picture the final hugs for the time would have occurred at the Palace, mainly because that's where they got the info from, and to check on everything before they headed off. **

**I meant to have this up Wednesday, but computer trouble and a day of errand prevented that from happening. Sorry for being later than I had hoped. It worked out though. What better way to spend Sunday than reading a horribly written fanfic, courtesy of me. But here it is… **

_**Edit: Thank you a lot of people for pointing out my slight math flaw in the center of this. In my head, Lu Ten was twenty five-ish… somehow another that five got dropped while typing and I completely missed it. This is what happens when half my keys stick. Reread this thing like six time, and missed it every time. Wonder what that says about my attention to detail. Anyways, it is fixed. If you want to clear up ages, there is a part in the author's note that has the ages to go off of. **_**  
-oOo-**

"How long until you all leave then?" Jet asked as he dropped himself into one of the chairs in the house. It had been only a half an hour ago when the departing members had returned from their assembly with King Kuei; only to inform those new four guest of their soon separation from them as they split to follow their own necessary routes. The Freedom Fighters had been slightly injured by the announcement, but seemed to have decided upon first union into the group, that their time with the others would not be one of permanent standing.

"We haven't decided anything completely," Katara answered, her voice easily filling into the air. "We know what we want, or need, to do," she allowed her eyes to drift to her brother beside her; who stood with a firm jaw. "But that might not be completely practical for all of us to run off."

"What are staying behind for?" Smellerbee looked at the Water Tribe siblings in complete disbelief and confusion. "This is your dad. A chance to see him. If I had the opportunity you have, I'd already be gone and at his camp."

"Trust me Smellers," Sokka's jaw kept ridge as he spoke, "if I knew that you all could handle yourselves alone, I'd be gone by now." He turned his attention unto his sister. "I know I said I was okay with you staying, but when I think about it, I'm not. I don't like the idea of leaving you unprotected. I can't leave you all hanging by yourselves."

"We don't need you," Jet smirked at the other teen. "I was taking care of these two long before you crashed into the tree houses. And besides," he shifted his gaze to land on Katara. Turning his attention promptly back onto Sokka, he continued. "I can take care of Katara and Miss Short Shit here. So don't use us as an excuse. Just go."

"It's not the simple," Sokka nodded his head in the direction of the firebender that had been kept a close eye on since his arrival. The twenty-five year old did not stir from his rest as each set of eyes landed on him in a mix of heated suspicions. Lu Ten breathed deeply as he took in the first peaceful amount of sleep he had been able to capture in the past four years. His sleep continued, uninterrupted, by the conversation. "We can't just run off and let him go about Ba Sing Se. That's asking for trouble."

"We've got nothing better to do," Jet shrugged. "We'll deal with him. One less firebender in the world can't be a bad thing."

"You do and this Short Shit will shove that piece of wheat so far down your throat, that whenever it becomes time, farms will have to go through your ass to harvest it," Toph tossed a blank glare at the Freedom Fighter. The smirk that spread over her mouth told the emotions her eyes didn't show.

"Are you really siding with that monster?" Jet clinched his hands tight as he growled at the young child. "I know you were born blind Toph, but I didn't think you were born stupid as well!"

"Watch it," Sokka stepped protectively towards him. The scowl on his face crunched his eyes tightly together; the light blue orbs turning down under the shadows.

"Its fine Sokka," Toph turned her face, now sporting a heavy frown, towards the warrior before redirecting it back unto Jet. "As long as he understands that I'd rather side with the sleeping firebender, than the crazy person in front of me. Lu seems a lot less of a risk at the moment."

"Why don't you just bring him to the Earth King," Smellerbee; who hadn't allowed her heated gaze to halter from the man, broke the argument before it could go any farther. Her words were laced with rage as they fell bitterly from her tongue. "Let them deal with him. I heard the army has wonderful ways of dealing with firebenders. They'll make sure he doesn't cause any trouble."

"He hasn't done anything wrong," Aang spoke. The members in the room turned to him, having forgotten he was there. The airbender stood leaning against a far wall, his arms crossed over his chest as if a huge weight were placed on him. His grey eyes shock with the light. "I am not sentencing someone to death, who's done nothing wrong than being from another country."

"And you think he'll have the same mind set when he wakes up?" Jet was a leading force in this argument as he turned his rage onto the boy. "He's a firebender! He was born and raised to kill people, simply because they're from another country! It's what they do. They're killing machines. You'll be doing the world a favor by getting rid of him. You'll probably be doing him a favor too."

"And I'm sure they won't just kill him," Smellerbee shrugged. "They'll probably lock him a little cell for a while; something he should be used to. They'll give him a proper hearing before they drop the rock on him. Being an evil murder is a horrible crime"

"You don't know what he is," Aang challenged with a furiously. "Besides, he's been here for days and he hasn't done anything."

"He was unconscious for most of it," Sokka tilted his head as he spoke mostly to himself, yet the words were loud enough for all to here. "So there wasn't much trouble he could cause."

"That's not the point," Aang drifted his gaze onto his friend. "The point is, he hasn't done anything to deserve our mistrust."

"I don't know," Jet allowed the smirk engraved into his face to leak into his words, "He was begging for a fight earlier. I count that as trouble starting and worthy of my mistrust."

"Little thing you're missing," Toph's voice injected itself into the dispute, "is that he kind of saved your life. All of our lives really. Lake Lougi? You were there. I was there. Sparks was there too."

"I remember," Jet's face lost its smirk as it set into a frown as solid as stone. "And we helped him get out. I think we're even with him now. We owe him nothing. No sweat off my back."

"That's not the way it works," Aang muttered darkly. "There shouldn't be an even."

"Well there is," Jet rolled his eyes. "Considering what he is, letting him live right now is way past what he's owed. The monster should be buried under a pile of rocks for what he's probably done. That's even"

"What is he's not some evil monster! What if he's actually a good guy? A guy who has a family? Maybe a wife and kid waiting on his return?"

"Not our problem," Jet offered as an answer. His voice held an injured tone as he spoke. "There are plenty of little Earth Kingdom and Water Tribe kids who are waiting for their parents to return to them! You are forgetting that Aang! Katara and Sokka lost their mother to them! She's never going to be going home! Me, Smellerbee, Longshot, we don't get to wait for our parents to walk back through the front door. The Fire Nation killed them! Right in front of us! Your own people were killed by these monsters as well! Or did you just forget that?" Sokka made a move to silence the boy before he stepped farther into that conversation, but Jet pushed him aside. The others in the room were too frozen by the Freedom Fighters words to move.

"Did you forget that they merely whipped out all the airbenders?" Jet's words were setting something off inside of Aang, as the young Avatar's hands shock with both rage and grief. "None of them get to walk home! And you're supporting the monsters that did it! You're making their deaths meaningless by siding with him! You're making everyone that he's ever killed just a side note by letting him live!"

The earth beneath Jet's feet shot into the air, Toph's outstretched hands guiding it to form around the teen in moments. Katara had acted as well, the water from her pouch slicing through the air. The attack landed upon its target; ice tangling itself around the stone. Neither girl showed a hint of concern for the boy, now dripping wet from the splash of the freezing water.

"I think you made your point," Katara snarled, her eyes going directly to Aang. The airbender stood with his mouth gaping open at the others words, but made no other movement of gesture. A second past while Katara lowered her hands, keeping the ice frozen to the stone, and made a movement towards Aang. The Avatar snapped out of his Trans.

"How dare you!" He screamed, the sheer volume of his words startling those in his presence. "How dare you use the airbenders to back up your own selfish vendetta! You know what, maybe your right about Lu! Maybe he is some evil monster who doesn't deserve to be on this Earth, but what gives you the right to decide that? Why do you think that you deserve the right to choose rather another lives or dies? It makes you no better than them!" Aang's voice grew dark as he picked at wounds left hidden away. Closing his mouth tightly, he pushed down both the rest of his words, as well as rage built by the conversation.

Katara didn't wait for anyone to speak, but simply raced towards her friend. Wrapping her arms protectively around him, she pulled Aang close to her.

"I'm sorry," Jet's apology came sooner and more sense than any of them thought was possible.

"It's fine," Aang muttered, fighting back the tears that threatened to breach his face. He withdrew from Katara' embrace and returned his attention onto the Freedom Fighter. "But we don't go around playing the Spirits. If you're going to stay with us, than you need to realize that."

"Fine," Jet surrendered. The stone surrounding him lowered; Katara having removed the frozen water when her hands had been freed by Aang's letting go of her.

"So what do you think we should do than," Smellerbee asked, careful not to step on the boy's toes.

"I think we should keep him," Toph smiled, the corners of her lips nearly touching her unseeing eyes.

"It's not that simple Toph," Sokka picked his way back into the base of the conversation. "He isn't some meadow voles, or pygmy panther that you can just take home. He's a danger. To everyone."

"Lu wouldn't hurt a fly," Toph swayed her eyes once more.

"Are you willing to bet on that," Sokka dropped his hands onto his hips.

"I would," Toph shrugged, "but I really don't want to take your money. Besides, this isn't the biggest thing we need to worry about. Aang needs to go find this Guru and get all glowy, and you need to track down your dad and get all bonding and getting support for this invasion. Neither of you can do that if your standing here agrueing like a married couple."

"We can't run off until this is solved," Sokka sighed, gripping the bridge of his nose tightly between hit middle finger and thumb.

"It's already solved," Toph's sigh was over dramatized. "SugerQueen and I can handle him until you get back. And we'll have the Tree House Club helping as well. We can handle one little firebender."

"And if he causes any trouble," Jet crossed his arms over his chest, "there's guards patrolling all over the place. I'm sure someone would love to take out a troublesome annoyance."

"All settled than," Toph clapped her hand together. "We can move on now. Katara and I will walk you two up to the palace before you leave."

"Toph," Sokka's voice was a mix of annoyance and laughter. "Are you sure you can handle this."

"We'll be fine Sokka," Katara answered for the girl. "We've handled worse than one firebender."

-oOo-

"What do you mean they left?" Lu Ten felt his brow raise as he stared at the red head before him. The girl, no more than five feet tall, locked her heavy lidded eyes onto him. Her words held a slight agitation as she spoke.

"They left." Her answer was short as her arms rested on her shifted hips. "They'll be back. Until then, I am in charge. And that means you listen to me."

"You're in charge," Lu Ten took in the small build of the girl. Her thick hair, shoved high by the tight head band, helped hide the true nature of her gender, but the small hips and shape of her tanned face broke the attempt. "How old are you?"

"Fifteen," she answered shortly. "You?"

"Twenty something. I think twenty-five, twenty-four," Lu Ten shrugged. "They left you in charge? No offense, but are you sure. I would have figured that boy, Jet, would have been? Or the quiet fellow. If it is just the three of you?"

"I. Am. In. Charge." Each word was a separate demand for respect and surrender. Raising his hands high, Lu Ten surrendered.

"Smellerbee!" The voice entered the room before the two boys did. Glancing up, they spotted Jet stomping into the room, a scowl over his face. Longshot was close behind; with a pair of hooked swords in his hands. "Tell him to give me my sword."

Longshot merely looked at Smellerbee, glared at Jet, moved his eyes down to his bleeding arm, and landed his vision back onto the girl.

"Why did you cut him?" Smellerbee picked up what the teen was trying to say.

"It was an accident!" Jet whined. "Tell her!"

Longshot merely kept his glare upon Jet solid.

"You are not getting those swords back," Smellerbee sighed. "We can't be having you running about causing trouble."

"I wasn't going to cause trouble," Jet stammered, faking innocents and hurt. "Why would you think that?"

Smellerbee simply cocked her eyes towards Longshot, before landing them back onto Jet. "Longshot doesn't lie."

"Side with your boyfriend than," Jet pouted. His eyes left the red head, only to quickly land on the now awake firebender before him. His brown eyes narrowed. "I see you're awake."

"Morning to you too," Lu Ten smirk. Running a large hand through his thick black hair, he realized how unkempt and rugged he must still look.

"There's a bathroom," Smellerbee seemed to read his thoughts as she pointed down the hall, "about three doors down that way. There's soup and stuff in there. As well as a change of clothes Katara brought back for you before they left. They should fit. If not, make 'em work."

Lu Ten stood, the small stature of the girl brining her barely to his chest. He bowed, his hands cupped respectfully in the Fire Nation salute; his hands forming together to create a flame. Righting himself, he caught the startled expression that played over the girls face before she pushed it down.

"Just go get wash up." She pouted, not allowing her eyes to remove themselves from her glare upon him. "You really do stink."

-oOo-

The bathroom was exactly where Smellerbee had directed, and opening the door, Lu Ten had been met with a fresh smell resembling a floral fragrance. The large bathroom was decorated in a deep shade of green, a color Lu Ten had begun to grow accustomed to seeing in the city. His feet carried him through the door, Lu Ten's mind allowing his body to take him where he needed to go.

Standing before the sizeable mirror on the wall, Lu Ten saw for the first time in four years his reflection. His black hair, once finely groomed hung down around his face and draped past his shoulders. The deeply darkened hair was lightened from dust, and he was sure that whenever he was to wash it, h would find the locks turned dim from the loss of sun.

Sighing, he removed his attention from his head, and allowed his eyes to take in the rest of his form. Heavy bags rested under his eyes; his eyelids dull and bruised. His pale skin was masked with a dense layer of grim, which clogged into the scars, of different levels of healing. The prince could not resist the urge to smirk at the state he was in. A time when he had once been properly groomed and cared for entered his mind. Four years had passed since those days, and the dirt covered man staring back from the glass was no longer anywhere near Prince Lu Ten of the Fire Nation.

A knock on the door startled Lu Ten. Removing his eyes from the image in the glass, he stared at the face of a young teen in the doorway. It took the man a moment before he realized that the intruder was one of the three on the other side of the door. Longshot was his name.

The boy merely looked at Lu Ten, a blank expression playing over his features as he drifted his gaze lower and to the right. Lu Ten followed his eyes, the sink before him becoming the main focus of both males. Lu Ten's eyes found the rag and soup sitting on the counter, with a sense of joy. Glancing back up, Lu Ten found Longshot gone from the door.

Shaking his head, the prince turned his attention onto the cleaners before him. His hands twisted the sink nobs, water rushing from the faucets in the center. Placing the stopper in the center, he watched as it slowly filled. Once the water reached just above the halfway point, he stopped the flow. He dipped his hands, hidden behind a mess of grim and blood, into the water. The liquid was cold to his touch, yet was a welcomed sensation for him. The clear water quickly turned dark as his hands grew white.

Removing his hands from the water, with a slight desire to return them, he picked up the rag to the right. Dipping it into the sink, he carefully washed the grim from the skin of his face. The soft fabric against his worn skin was received with a delightful pleasure. He held it there, basking in the bliss of the water dripping down his face and onto the counter.

When he finally removed the towel from his face, Lu Ten felt his eyes widen at the sight staring back. His skin, with the dirt removed, was once more its fine shade of peach. His golden eyes twinkled once more. The scars along his face were nothing more than thin white lines. Too many white lines to count.

Withdrawing his eyes, he located the set of clothes laid out for him. Grabbing it, he explored the items. The tunic, a dark avocado shade, was made of a thick material, but soft enough for comfortable wear; hints of a lighter olive made up the trim. Setting it back down, he moved to remove his own tattered clothing; the once brown and green nothing more than a faded brown. The shredded fabric stung as it was pulled away, with some of it having embedded itself into the cuts that decorated his back. Brushing them away, he ran the wash cloth over the skin. The small of his back was bruised and burned as the cold water seeped over it.

Tossing the wet cloth onto the remains of his shirt, he picked up the new one and slides it on. Grasping the pants; a similar shade as the shirt, he quickly slipped off the pair he wore and slide them on. The pants hung loosely from his legs. The elastic ends were snug just below his knees. The black shoes slide onto his feet with ease; gladness set in as to his previous shoes being nothing but holed leather.

Dressed, he turned to stare at his reflection in the full length mirror on the side wall. Staring back was a man dressed in clean Earth Kingdom greens. But his eyes and skin told volumes of his Fire Nation heritage.

-oOo-

"I see you're still here," Toph's voice greeted the group in the front room as the two girls entered into the house. Jet shot up from the couch he was lounging in as they came into view. Smellerbee and Longshot remained at the Pi Sho table. Lu Ten smirked at the young girl, but kept himself seated. "I figured you would have gotten bored and ran off."

"Tried," Lu Ten smiled. "They won't let me."

"There wasn't any trouble while we were gone?" Katara landed her gaze onto Smellerbee.

"Not really," the girl answered as she moved a tile across the board. Lifting her attention she continued. "Everything went pretty well."

Katara nodded, before turning the conversation onto Lu Ten. "The clothes look like they fit."

Lu Ten grabbed at the green fabric that clothed him. "Thank you for that. They are much better than what I was wearing previously."

"It's no problem," Katara smiled back. The kindness in her voice, and the smile on his face made Lu Ten wonder if she was merely forgetting what he was, or if she had looked past it. "You look much better cleaned up."

"Ya," Toph crossed her arms over her chest, "you look beautiful."

"Always so kind," Lu Ten nodded at the girl, aware that girl could not see his action.

"How did everything go?" Jet placed himself into the conversation. "With the King and all that."

"They just left," Katara answered, her voice tanging with annoyance as she answered him. "Aang's planning on dropping Sokka off at the meeting place so he can talk with the warriors about the invasion, before he heads off for this guru."

"Invasion?" Lu Ten muttered to himself. The others in the room picked up his voice, and turned their attention onto him.

"None of your concern," Jet snarled the mistrust back in his words.

"Calm down Jet," Katara rolled her eyes. "What are we going to do with you anyways?" She dropped her hands to her hips and shifted her weight over as she turned her gaze back onto Lu Ten.

"I say we drop him off with the King," Smellerbee shrugged as she continued to play against Longshot. A frown spread over her face and extended into her brow. "I don't understand this game!"

"Move the Lotus Tile up four, and over one to take his Lily piece. Than simply use the same to jump over his rose and take his second lily. Puts you on the opposite side and his Lotus in complete check." Lu Ten cocked his head forward to see the game between the two. Smellerbee lifted her eyes to him before looking back at the game. She moved her piece to the position Lu Ten had directed. Longshot turned around to glare at Lu Ten, before turning back to the game and flipping his own White Lotus tile over; hiding the flower from view.

"I win," Smellerbee giggled; the girlish sound strange from such a girl. Longshot could only smile.

"How did you do that," the words from a foreign voice startled them. It took those present to realize that they had been muttered from a one Longshot; who sat studying the board.

"My dad taught me from a young age," Lu Ten answered simply. "It was firebender Mondays, Wednesday and Fridays; tea training on Tuesday and Pai Sho strategies on Thursday."

"So what are you," Jet plopped back into his chair, "some kind of Pai Sho master."

"Not a master," Lu Ten nodded his head to the side. "But awfully close."

"I change my mind," Smellerbee set up the next game, "he's okay. For a firebender."

"You may be friendly with him," Jet kept his glare stationary on the firebender, "but I still say we drop him off at the palace. You're going up tomorrow to talk with the war council; it can't be that hard to say, 'hey I have a firebender back at the house. Could you take him off my hands?' It's that simple."

"I'd rather not talk to the Earth King," Lu Ten answered simply. "Spend too long wrongly jailed, I'd rather not have to go back."

"Than what do you suggest?" Jet asked, the attitude seeping into his words. "Because I am not babysitting you."

"We'll deal with that later," Katara pinched the bridge of her nose as a moan escaped after her words. "Toph, how long until you leave to meet up with your folks?"

"I'm not going." The answer was short as Toph tossed her weight into the chair beside Lu Ten.

"What are you talking about?" Katara narrowed her eyes at the girl. "I thought you were going to meet up with them? They said they were in Ba Sing Se."

"So," Toph shrugged, her arms thrown behind her head. "Just because they're here, doesn't mean a thing. I am not going on their terms."

"Still having parental issues?" Lu Ten leaned back in the chair and looked at Toph. "I thought you would have solved that by now."

"Did you solve your parental issues," Toph scratched the back of her head.

"I did," Lu Ten answered with a nod. "And he took it quite well. But now he probably thinks I'm dead. So I may be back to square one."

"You solve your problems," Toph pocked the prince, "and I will solve mine."

"Deal," Lu Ten extended his hand. "But you have to visit the folks first. They're a bit closer to here than my dad is."

Toph extend her hand, managing to shove it into Lu Ten's. The two shock, a grin spreading over each of their faces.

-oOo-

"So I take it you made it to Ba Sing Se?" Toph took a large drink from the glass in her hands. She kept her eyes looking forward unseeing, but directed her comment towards Lu Ten sitting on the floor before her. The prince chuckled as he picked the lily tile before him up and moved it across the Pai Sho board.

"I did," he answered. Lu Ten smirked at his opponent as Longshot studied the board. "I should have stayed in Mullin a little longer though. It hadn't been a month in Ba Sing Se before I got myself in trouble." Longshot slide his rose tile forward.

"Because your time in Mullin was such fun," Toph smirked.

"I have you know," Lu Ten shifted his gaze onto the girl as he skipped his Lotus tile over the board, "that cave was the most interesting part of my entire time as a soldier. And that was off duty."

"Glad I made it remember-able for you," Toph probed his back with her bare foot.

"Toph," Katara's voice drew the girls attention away, "can I talk to you for a minute?"

Toph let a sigh escape her lips. Setting her glass upon the table, she stood and followed the older girl from the room.

-oOo-

"Spill," was all Katara said as she rounded upon the girl. Toph felt the other's weight shift and knew that her hands were resting on her hips; a stance that she seemed to take whenever she got into one of these moods. "What do you know about Lu?"

"What?" Toph heard her properly.

"Lu." Katara repeated. Toph knew from the agitation in her voice than she was frustrated. "What do you know of him? The two of you seem close."

"Not that close," Toph shrugged as she dug her hands into her pockets.

"How did you know him?" Katara pressed on with the questions.

"Met before," Toph answered simply.

"How?"

"Look," Toph rolled her eyes, "Lu isn't something you need to worry about." She could feel the stubborn stance Katara held, and with a sigh Toph told her what she felt she needed to hear. "Fine. If it's that big of a deal. It was years ago. I was like five. About the time I started running away. Well, running farther away."

Toph scanned the room looking for a place to sit. The vibrations coming from a bench in the hall they stood in echoed through her vision. Placing herself in the center of the hard wood, she continued. "There was a cave, in Mullin, the next town over. It was the perfect place to practice my earthbending."

"So what happened?" Katara leaned against the opposing wall; her movements sending vibrations like crazy through the floor.

"Practice went wrong," Toph shrugged. "Caused a cave-in. A big one. Lu happened to be in the cave as well. It was like his first week in the army or something and was supposed to be checking out some rumors of earthbender rebels in the caves. Stupid left his division to check it out and got split off when everything started falling."

"How did you get out?"

"His division found us." Toph answered leaning against the back of the bench. "Their reaction when they found out that they're rebels was just a five year old, was priceless. It made the whole three hours of wandering and breaking through walls worth it."

"Let me get this straight," Katara eyed the earthbender in confusion. "You met in a cave-in; that you accidently caused. Than you wandered around with a firebender in the Fire Nation army, until his buddies found you and then they just let you go?"

"They didn't just let me leave," Toph smirked as she spoke. "There was a lot of questioning, and some talk of arresting me. Lu ended up taking me home. One and only time me folks ever knew of my adventures."

"Are you serious?" Katara wasn't sure rather to believe to tale being told before her or not.

"Ya," Toph shrugged.

"And what all did you know about him at the time? What do you know about him now?" Katara could only shake her head. "Do you know what could have happened to you if he hadn't been such a nice guy to walk you home? He could have hurt you. He could have killed you."

"But he didn't." Toph said. "And he didn't now."

"You still didn't know anything about him."

"Didn't have much of a choice at the time," Toph shrugged. "I didn't really know you guys before I ran off with you."

"But we aren't firebenders." Katara sighed.

Toph let a groan escape her lips as she jumped from her chair. "We'll talk about it later okay. I have to go get cleaned up so I can meet up with my parents. Because you all think it's a good idea. And you need to get ready for your meeting with the war council. Lu will be fine here until we get back.

Toph dug her hands into her pocket and walked away from the older girl. Katara watched her friend leave. "What aren't you telling me?" She muttered.

-oOo-

The house was quiet as Lu Ten laid on the couch. Toph and Katara had left over an hour ago to their separate distinations. Smellerbee and Longshot had decided that they needed a break and fresh air; as the two had been banished from the house until they got an hour away, by a frustrated Jet and Katara. This left just Jet and Lu Ten in the house, and as Jet had passed out on the opposite couch, Lu Ten was left lying alone.

Glancing at the door leaning out, Lu Ten stood. He glanced over at the sleeping teen before walking forward and opening the door.

**-oOo-**

**This was mainly a turning/filler chapter. Something to patch together previous and future events. Took way too long to finish and get on here. It was like the universe was out to stop this chapter. First it was computer failure, than it was piles of homework that made it impossible to have free time, than it was an all-day trip to my grandmother's where I had this thing finished but no internet to upload, and by time I got back it was 2 in the morning, and then the final distraction was an all-day cleaning because the dogs tore the house apart while we were gone. Fun weekend.**

**So now I am finally back, only like days later than the original promise date for this. I apologize for the lateness, and hope that my distracted mind and the universe can work together for a better upload record. **

**I should explain the math behind the Lu Ten/ Toph thing first. The crucial thing in all this, that makes the math work, is that Lu Ten did not go at the beginning of the Siege. I figured, Iroh would have been general a bit before actually starting the siege, and whenever he did start, he made Lu Ten work his way up to getting to be a part of it. Mainly for his own safety. So the ages are simple when Lu Ten first went to war…  
Lu Ten: 18  
Zuko: 9  
Toph: 5  
And then, two years later, whenever he made it to Ba Sing Se, and 'died' those ages were….  
Lu Ten: 20  
Zuko: 11  
Toph: 7  
That places a two year gap, while Lu Ten worked his way up to getting to be in the siege, to where he met Toph. This also gives Lu Ten enough time to see what war was really like, and allows him about a month or two to work around Ba Sing Se. This story takes place about four/five years from that date.  
Now they are all:  
Lu Ten: 25  
Zuko:16  
Toph:12**

**There was a mention that Lu was a colonel before he died. I did not know that. I learn something new every day. But as I was not aware of that and it screws up the ages a bit, the ages I have had figured out ever before starting this, I have brushed it under the rug. Sorry creators of Avatar, Lu Ten has been demoted. Seeing as how I'm bringing character; who despite never being in the show played a huge part in the long run, back to life, I can change things like that. **

**The event that took place between the two was briefly mentioned. Look for "**_**Cave-in**_**," which will tell the actual story. That is, if I can make my brain work long enough to write and upload. Knowing me, I will get distracted, but someone updating a much better story than this, or some movie, or some shiny object that passes by my window. My attention span sucks some days.**

**Other than that, Lu Ten changing clothes and getting cleaned up was the only real important part in all of this.**

**Longshot did indeed speak. I am working on that with him. We will break his quiet spell!**

**Oh, and Lu Ten's run off at the end. That in the end was the main point of this. Where is he going? When will he return? Will the Royal Family telepathy pick up and he'll find his way into the Jasmine Dragon? That for next time. If I ever get a grip on my procrastinating and distractions. **


	7. Attack- 30 Seconds to Mars

**Do you know how hard it is to work, when the fics you have been following keep updating? It's like almost everyone felt the need to update and such this week. This is why I never get work done. **

**Disclaimer: I no own Avatar.**

-oOo-

The city of Ba Sing Se fell open before Lu Ten as he wandered through the brightly lit streets. Colorful lanterns hung from a mess of windows and balconies, the decorations moving about in the cold wind. The firebender continued on his track, the countless citizens went passed paying no mind to the man other than making note not to brush up against him as they continued on. Lu Ten looked down at his scar covered hands, and imagined what his pale face must look like compared to the rest of his scraped and marked skin.

The Prince's feet felt almost feather like as he made his way to an unknown location. Being inside the city was like he never could imagine. The city was so alive; a complete contrast to the destroyed walls Lu Ten had become accustomed to seeing during the siege. The breeze felt good against his skin, and he mentally wondered how the close quarters of the buildings allowed for any amount of wind to pass through.

"Let's go Uncle!" A male voice blended just above the crowd. Lu Ten wasn't sure rather it was the way the voice sounded so familiar or not that drew his attention to it. Scanning the crowd of people, he shock off the deep voice.

"I am coming nephew." The voice made Lu Ten's heart almost jump. He spun in the direction which the voice had come from, but couldn't pick out the voice from the surrounding. "I am not as young as I once was."

The voice entering into his ears resembled one that matched his father's so well. Yet, despite his attempts, he was unable to find anything. Lu Ten chuckled at the thought that had even crossed into his mind. He seemed to be even sicker for his home than he had imagined as his mind through together voices from his past with the images around him.

"And I am just as impatient as ever," the rugged voice responded again. Closer this time. Shifting his gaze, a pair of golden eyed under chopped black bangs flowed through the sea of green. The pale, chiseled, face scowled behind him but continued on his way. Lu Ten struggled to make out who it was conversing with the boy. A graying beard was all he could see. Squinting, he tried to make out-

"Watch it kid," an elderly man shoved him aside, disrupting his view. Lu Ten stumbled, but quickly regained his balance as the man disappeared into the large surrounding mass of people. The golden eyed boy and companion melted into the mess. Stepping forward, he made his way after them, only to end up shoved back by the crowd. The two men were no longer in sight.

Shaking his head, Lu Ten turned back in the direction he had come. After what felt like an hour of walking, he was unable to find the house he had left from. Shoving his hands deeper into his pocket, a sharp stinging sensation sank into his hands, he continued on his track.

"What are you doing out here?" Lu Ten spun at the female voice. Smellerbee stood just a few feet from him, Longshot's hand in hers as they drew closer. "You were supposed to be in the house! With Jet! Where's Jet?"

"Sleeping," Lu Ten shrugged. His golden eyes trailed over the two's head as he stared off.

"And what are you doing out here?" She dropped her hands to her hips.

"Come on," The twenty five year old man sighed with the dramatics of a child. "I could use some outside time."

"And I could use a stress free day," Smellerbee rolled her eyes, "yet I not only have to babysit Jet, but now you. And at least Jet somewhat listens to what I say. Unlike you, who even though you have only been awake for twelve hours, seem to feel the need to disobey every order I give."

"I've got like ten years and two feet on you," Lu Ten chuckled.

"And I have the joys of a woman's rage on you," Smellerbee snorted. "Right now, you are like at the top of that list. Now come on," she reached and pulled his hand from his pocket before dragging him down the opposite way he was heading. Longshot trailed beside him.

"House is the other way," Lu Ten spoke.

"I'm aware," Smellerbee grunted as her drug him along. "But Katara said she was going to stop by that new tea shop, the Jasmine Dragon, if she got out early. If she's there, than we might as well meet up with her. Besides, I could use some calming tea from having to deal with your sorry asses."

-oOo-

A lone ostrich horse drunk from the small creek that cut through the hills outside of Ba Sing Se. The creature lazily lapped at the water as if the world held no concern. It was in that moment that the large bison flew overhead, startling the life below. The creature darted off as the bison headed for the walls in the far distance.

"So," Sokka watched as the ostrich horse below darted off quickly, "what kind of trouble is Katara in?"

"I don't know." The Avatar beside him answered, his voice edging with worry. "In my vision, I just knew she needed help."

Sokka chortled "It would be nice if your Avatar powers could be just a little more specific from time to time. I'm sure she's fine though. She's got Toph to look after her. Plus Lu, Jet and his cronies are there. I'm sure whatever trouble she's caused, they'll have her out of it by time we get back."

A rumbling echoed from the ground below. Sokka leaned over, expecting to find the ostrich horse returns. Instead, he spotted the quickly moving mound of earth heading in the same direction they headed.

"What is that?!" He asked as the bison flew lower. The rising dust from the form draped below Appa's feet as the green clothed mass at the highest point came into view. Sokka smiled at seeing the way Toph skated beside them, with no idea of their presents over the thunder of her creation digging through the ground. The smile soon dropped as he realized that the girl was out of Ba Sing Se, and heading back at an alarming rate.

"Need a ride?" Sokka yelled over the roar of his friends travels.

"Ahhh!" The scream left Toph's lips. The presents beside her startled her, and losing her concentration, the mound of earth fell apart. She vanished into the cloud of rising dust. Aang pulled on the bison's reins to slow him as they struggled to make out the figure lost in the falling dirt. He winced, Sokka making a similar response as Toph's curses entered their ears.

"At least Lu and the others are still there," Sokka shrugged as the bison landed to pick up the discovered member of their team.

-oOo-

"Could I have five jasmines to go, a pack of your dumpling and like two packs of those little biscuit things everyone keeps talking about?" Smellerbee asked the waitress who greeted them from the other side of the counter. The woman nodded before motioning for them to take a seat at an empty table to the left of where they stood. Smellerbee pointed for the two to follow them.

"So," Smellerbee seemed to have calmed since she first picked Lu Ten from wandering, "how was your walk around the city?"

Lu Ten opened his mouth to speak but his attention soon shifted to the elderly woman sticking up a conversation with one of the workers at the counter.

"Both Mushi and Lee are gone?" The elderly woman sighed under her breath.

"Ya," the girl responded. "They left for the palace about an hour ago."

"Are they going to return before you close tonight?"

"I hope so ma'am," the young girl responded as she took the bag handed to her. She sat it onto the counter, and wrote something down before sliding it into the bag. "It just isn't the same without them. Especially when I have to tell countless elderly women that they won't be able to flirt with the Tea Bender today, or comfort groups of giggling girls when they learn that their favorite moody tea server isn't here today."

"Well I hope they come back soon," the woman picked up the bag. "And when they do, send me a note so I swing by to talk with Mushi about those dumplings."

"I will," the girl smiled as the woman left. She then disappeared into the back room where the sound of a tea kettle bounced from the walls.

"You don't think," Smellerbee was the first to break the silence, as both she and Longshot had fallen into the conversation not meant for their ears. She lowered her gaze onto the youngest of the males at the table, "that this is where the two of them ran off to do you?"

Longshot shrugged.

-oOo-"

"There's no one else here." Toph smirked as she flipped Jet off of the couch he laid sleeping on. The Freedom Fighter crashed onto the floor. He stumbled about, stuttering indignity under his breath towards the girl.

"Where is everyone?" Toph shoved her foot into his side enough to knock him back onto all fours.

"I don't know," Jet glared as he righted himself. "Lu's running around here somewhere and Smellers and Shots should still be on their date. Katara should have been home by now. She left like this morning."

"Katara _is_ in trouble!" Aang threw his hands into the air, as he jumped to conclusions. "I knew it!"

Sokka rolled his eyes at first before realizing that the conclusions Aang was jumping to might have an ounce of realism to them. "Oh no."

"Wait," Toph's voice was strangely quite, "someone's at the door." Her thin finger pointed towards the silent direction. Sokka opened his mouth to remark at her comment, but closed it when the knock came. "Actually, I know who it is. It's an old friend of mine." She made her way to the door, and threw it open without ceremony. "Glad to see you're okay."

"I need your help." The elderly voice at the door drew the other occupants towards the pair.

"Huh uh!" Aang and Sokka stuttered as they took in Iroh in the door way.

"Haven't seen you in a while," Jet narrowed his eyes at the gray haired man.

"You guys know each other?" Aang yelled from both Toph and Jet.

Toph smirked. "I met him in the woods once and knocked him down. Then he gave me tea and very good advice."

"He rode the boat into Ba Sing Se with me," Jet growled. "His nephew's a dumb ass."

Iroh smiled before asking to enter. Toph nodded and stepped aside to allow him to pass. Once in, he made quick to state his business. "Princess Azula is here in Ba Sing Se."

"She must have Katara." Aang nodded.

"She has captured my nephew as well." The frown over his face spread into his words.

"What did Lee do this time," Jet snickered. "Wait! Princess? Azula? She's a firebender right? Lee's a firebender! That means… evil firebenders teaming up!"

"Who the Hell is Lee?" Sokka's eyes widened.

"My nephew," Iroh nodded towards the Water Tribe boy before turning his gaze back onto Jet. "It is a pleasure to see you again Jet. I'm glad to see you are doing alright. Now if we could get back to the dilemma at hand."

Aang sighed as he lowered his gaze. Lifting them back up, he faced Iroh. "We don't have much of a choice. We'll work together to fight Azula, and save Katara and Zuko."

"Whoa there." Sokka held his hands in a surrendered. "You lost me at, 'Zuko'."

"Who's Zuko" Jet scratched his head trying to follow a conversation that he seemed to be missing a large part of.

"My nephew," Iroh repeated. Shaking his head, he put his attention back onto Sokka. "I know how you must feel about my nephew. But believe me when I tell you there is good inside him." He placed a hand on Sokka's shoulders, a pleading tone echoing through his words.

"Good inside of him isn't enough." Sokka shock off the touch and shoved him away. "Why don't you come back when it's outside him too, okay?"

"Katara is in trouble." Aang attempted to place some sense into the rambled. "All of Ba Sing Se is in trouble. Working together is our best chance."

Sokka closed his eyes before nodding grudgingly. Jet gave the boy a startled expression before he shrugged.

"I brought someone along who might be able to help us." Iroh motioned to the door. Stepping back outside, the others followed. A bound and gagged Dai Li agent sat on the porch, struggling in vein against his restraints. Toph slammed a foot into the ground, causing two stone slab on either side of him to lift him to his feet. Iroh pulled the cloth from the agents face.

"Azula and Long Feng are plotting a coup." The man instantly began to spill his secrets in fear of the actions that might occur from the group if he did not. "They're going to overthrow the Earth King."

Sokka stepped closer, brandishing his machete inches from the man's face._ "_My sister! Where are they keeping Katara?"

"In the crystal catacombs of old Ba Sing Se, deep beneath the palace." He answered in the same rambled tone which he had answered in previously.

"Let's go," Aang nodded towards the group before they made their way down the steps. Jet remained on the porch for a moment. The others noticed his absence when they reached the bottom and glanced back.

"I'm going to leave a note for Smellers for when they get back." Jet pointed inside.

-oOo-

Katara paced through the cave, glancing over her shoulder every once in a while to spot if the prince had moved. Every time she glanced at him, she was greeted with a view of his green clad back. His shoulders rose and fell as he breathed, but made no other attempt to move or look at her.

"Why did they throw you in here?" Katara scoffed accusingly at his back. He made no more to respond so she simply continued for nothing better than to pass the time. "Oh wait. Let me guess. It's a trap. So when Aang shows up to rescue me, you can finally have him in your little Fire Nation clutches."

Katara clinched her hands into claws as she spoke. A second later, Zuko turned to look at her; either from the silence that followed or her very words spoke towards him. But he made no move to respond and only turned away from her. Katara glared into his back.

"You're a terrible person, you know that?" She spat at him. His shoulders rose once and fell before she continued. "Always following us, hunting the Avatar, trying to capture the world's last hope for peace! But what do you care? You're the Fire Lord's son. Spreading war and violence and hatred is in your blood."

"You don't know what you're talking about." Zuko lowered his gaze, but placed as much venom into his words as he could.

Anger welded up inside Katara at his remark. "I don't?! How dare you! You have no idea what this war has put me through. Me personally!" She spun and after finding her knees growing weak, fell into a crouch as the tears threatened to fall. Her hand lifted to the necklace at her throat. "The Fire Nation took my mother away from me."

Zuko turned his head slowly towards her. The emotions that played over his face matched the shattered one on Katara. The tears dripped down the girl's face as she brought her knees to her chest and attempted to bury herself there.

"I'm sorry." Zuko's voice was just above a whisper. He lowered his gaze before turning fully towards her. "That's something we have in common."

The tears stopped falling from her eyes for a moment. Whipping the tears from her face, she turned her attention onto Zuko. The genuinely shocked and surprised expression that played over her face startled Zuko as it dropped into a confused glare.

-oOo-

"I hate you," Smellerbee narrowed her eyes at Lu Ten. The glare broken when the laughter she held in her throat boiled over and seeped through her lips. The chuckles shock her shoulders and caused the bag in her hand to rustle as well. "Could you be any less annoying?"

"Oh really," Lu Ten lifted an eyebrow. Tilting his head forward to look at the girl, he couldn't help but crack a grin. The terrors of the previous year's fell away as this young girl's light laughter. The empty street fell behind as they walked.

"Ya," Smellerbee shoved a fist into the man's shoulder. Lu Ten took a step sideways at the punch that seemed almost too strong to come from the bushy haired girl. Longshot on the other side of him stepped forward in order to keep from getting knocked to the side. "Now stop making us laugh. I am trying to hate you, and you are making it really hard. Isn't that the house?"

Smellerbee lifted a free hand, gesturing to the large house, its one side still broken and covered with a plastic sheet s it waited for the repair crew to finish its work.

"Ya," Longshot's voice was still a bit shaken and rugged as he worked it back up after years of not being used. "Who's that on the porch?"

"I don't know," Smellerbee answered before speeding before them. Longshot picked up his pace, and Lu Ten followed suit. The two got to the porch as Smellerbee yanked a note from the sleeping man's forehead. The bag at her feet.

"'This dude in Dai Li. We're gone. Katara in trouble. Going to rescue her from some crazy firebending princess. Heading to palace. Have to save Lee too. He's a firebender. I told you so.'" Smellerbee dropped her hands to her side, the note crinkling with the movement. Her gaze narrowed at the man in Dai Li armor on their steps.

"Hey," Smellerbee gripped the Dai Li agent's collar in her fist and shock him violently until he awoke. The man muttered something unintelligent as fear sank into his eyes. "Repeat yourself before I have my firebender friend set you on fire."

"Please," the man pleaded, "I have a family. I already told your friends everything I knew."

"Then tell us what you told them," Smellerbee's face was inches from his. Her teeth were barred.

"Your friends are heading to the palace," he stuttered. "Princess Azula is plotting a coup with Long Feng."

"Princess Azula," Lu Ten narrowed his eyes at the Dai Li agent. He stepped forward, now standing next to Smellerbee. "What is she doing in the city? How did she get in?"

"I do not know," the agent yelled. "Please. That is all I know! Please, let me go. I have told you everything I know."

"The palace isn't far from here," Smellerbee turned from the agent. "It'll probably take ten minutes to get there if we leave now."

"Please," the man's pleading tone drew their attention around. "I have a family to get back to."

Smellerbee glanced down at the stone slabs that held him in his place. "Thanks for your help. But, I'm not an earthbender. I can't help you with this one."

-oOo-

"We should split up." Sokka glanced down at the newly made hole in the ground before redirecting his gaze onto the group around him. "Aang, you go with Iroh to look for Katara and the angry jerk." He paused for a fraction of a second before shifting his gaze directly onto Iroh. "No offense."

Iroh nodded. "None taken."

"And I'll go take Jet and Toph to warn the Earth King about Azula's coup." The Warrior finished as Aang and Iroh made their way down the tunnel.

-oOo-

"What are you talking about," Katara fought to keep the glare in her eyes, but the shattered expression that plastered itself into every corner of Zuko's face made it harder. "You don't know anything about what I've gone through. You're the Fire Nation prince. This war is your families fault and doing."

"That doesn't mean I always agree with it," Zuko turned away from her, but not before she could see him biting the corner of his lip as if fighting back a whimper or tear.

"Because you're shown such humanity before," Katara grumbled as she drew her knees closer and turned away. Zuko was silent as her words sunk in. "This war has ruined so many lives. Taken so many lives. What do you know?"

"You're not the only one who's lost someone to this thing." Katara could pick up on the bitterness that seeped around his very words. She turned, watching as he shoulders rose and fell with his breaths.

"When I mentioned my mother," Katara drew her hand to the stone that rested in the indent of neck, "you said something." She lifted her gaze to see him turning slightly, before he readjusted to keep his back completely to her. "That we shared that in common. And then… you said you lost someone too… Zuko?"

"Look," his words were harsh, before he said like he was brushing off what he was close to saying. "Think whatever you want."

"Zuko," she drew herself to her feet. That internal instinct and drive to right every wrong in the world sunk in as she took a step closer to him. The prince showed no sign of acknowledging her actions until she sat beside him. He scooted away from her slightly. "I know we've had a bad past, and I know you don't like me. Or any of us. But if you need to talk, I've got nothing better to do."

Zuko lifted his sorrow filled eyes. His pale face turned towards her. For the first time, the waterbender was able to see his face clearly; without rage or hatred boiling between them. His golden eyes shinned with a lust that seemed to fight against the world.

-oOo-

Lu Ten whistled at the destruction that leads from the steps and up to the royal Earth Kingdom palace. The stone steps lay in ruins. The members of the battle no longer present.

"Looks like the fun's already started," Smellerbee said as they picked their way quickly up the path.

-oOo-

"I'm sorry I yelled at you before." Katara sighed as the words Zuko had spoken sank into her. She looked at the teen, no older than her own brother, who only months before had been their greatest adversary. Zuko stood on feet from her, the two of them having somehow managed to increase the space between them as they had spoken.

"It doesn't matter." Zuko shrugged his shoulder as if he were shacking everything that had been shared between them.

"It's just that for so long now, whenever I would imagine the face of the enemy, it was your face." She could hear the remorse and quilt in her own voice was Zuko turned away from her.

"My face." His hand went unconsciously to his face as he spoke. "I see."

"No, no, that's not what I meant." Katara shock her head, regretting the way she had phrased the remark. She had managed to learn a bit more into the teen's life, but he had fallen from the conversation when she had brought the question of the burn up. And watching as the gleam threatened to fall from his eyes, Katara began to wonder just what had caused both the physical and emotional scar he sported.

"It's ok." Zuko's voice broke her from her trail of though. "I used to think this scar marked me. The mark of the banished prince, cursed to chase the Avatar forever. But lately, I've realized I'm free to determine my own destiny," he paused for a moment, as if the rest of the sentence was meant only for his ears. "Even if I'll never be free of my mark."

"Maybe you could be free of it."

" What?" Zuko turned towards her. She caught the glimmer of hope that spread through his eyes only for a moment.

"I have healing abilities." She answered.

"It's a scar. It can't be healed." Zuko's attitude in his voice was dismissive as he brushed off any hope that had spread through him. Katara reached under her shirt as she closed the distance between them once more. When she pulled her hand out, she held a small vile in her hand. The water from the spirit oasis at the North Pole flowed through the glass container.

"This is water from the Spirit Oasis at the North Pole." She told him. "It has special properties, so I have been saving it for something important. I don't know if it would work, but..."

Zuko merely stared at her before silently accepting her offer. Katara placed a hand on Zuko's scar, examining the way the skin indented under her hand. Her fingers inched upward, feeling the skin even more. Her other hand moved to uncap the veil. The water flowed towards the lid and-

The loud shattering of stone echoed through the catacomb. The pair's attention was directed to the sound, as a cloud of dust began to form and fall from the air. Katara took note on how close she and Zuko stood across from one another.

Out of the mess came Aang, his face lighting up when he spotted Katara. A second later, Iroh stepped into the room. His eyes instantly found Zuko. A smile licked at the corner of his lips as he watched Katara step back from his nephew before racing toward them. He walked pass the Avatar as he embraced his friend. Iroh wrapped his arms around Zuko's shoulders. His nephew fell into the embrace and loosely draped his arms around the man's large waist.

-oOo-

"See any Dai Li agents nearby?" Toph asked as she laid a hand onto the metal frame.

"Nope." Sokka answered. "All clear."

Toph withdrew her hand from the door, only to crack her knuckles and drive them through the metal. The door collapsed inward, a sickening screech adding with the action. Without any warning, the door burst from its hinges and bounced off the opposite wall several times before coming to a crashing halt on the stone floor. The earthbender stepped out of the cell before breaking into a run. Momo shout out after the girl, and Sokka followed a moment later with the Earth King in tow.

"Let's go!" Sokka yelled over his shoulder.

The Earth King fought to keep himself from falling over as he ran. "I'm not leaving without Bosco!"

-oOo-

"I thought you had changed!" Katara screamed as she swung the trail of water around her arms down at Zuko. The prince stepped forward, shifting his own tendrils of fire to clash against the tentacles of water Katara controlled. Their strengths were balanced, as neither was able to knock the other.

"I have changed." The emotions behind Zuko's voice were in clash with each other. His expression was nearly unreadable. Nearly unreadable.

Katara could make out the confusion that tinged at the corner of his eyes. She picked up on the way he haltered ever so slightly whenever she had attacked him.

-oOo-

"Come on, it's easy." Ty Lee grinned at the bear. "You just walk on your front paws instead of your rear ones. Like this."

The acrobat flipped into a hand stand. Lifting her hand, she replaced her palm just above where it had been. Suddenly, the floor beneath her rose and surrounded Ty Lee's arms; catching her in surprise. She fell forward and the stone wrapped around her feet as well. Her back was arched, her belly sticking up into the air. Bosco growled and clapped his paws happily at the awkward position Ty Lee was trapped it. Lifting her gaze, she spotted Toph standing with her hands rose anticipating a fight. The others showed behind her

"That is a nice trick." Toph chuckled. Sokka pulled out his boomerang as a large stone block rose before Toph. The group narrowed their eyes at Mai on the steps.

"Just take the bear." The knife thrower waved them off apathetically.

"Bosco!" The Earth King threw himself onto the bear. Bosco growled happily as the Kuei buried his face into the bear's fur.

"I think it's this way!" The voice was faint as came into the room, but it was definitely female. A moment later, Smellerbee entered into the room, Longshot and Lu Ten beside her. The group looked at the mess before them.

"Did we miss the fun?" Lu Ten chuckled before looking closer at the two girls. The bright eyes female trapped uncomfortably looked at them with a curious expression over her face. Her grey eyes instantly narrowed when she spotted Lu Ten, as she stared at him attempting to recognize who he was.

He drew his gaze to land on the other sitting on the steps. Her expression played the same of confusion and curiosity at the pale faced man. Recognition seemed to sink into Mai's eyes for a mere moment before they narrowed in disbelief.

"Come on," Toph's voice was instantly beside him. She dug her arm under his and pulled him along. The others were already ahead of them.

-oOo-

"Hey Mai," Ty Lee tried as well as she could to see her friend, "you don't think that he's-"

"I don't think so," Mai responded before she sighed. "That would make life a bit more interesting though."

"Um, Mai," Ty Lee dropped her head down, her neck starting to cramp, "do you think you could get me out?"

"Do I look like an earthbender?" Mai raised an eyebrow; the uncharacteristic grin on her lips spreading.

"Just go get someone," Ty Lee grumbled.

-oOo-

Zuko chopped downward, flinging one of his fiery whips at Katara. The waterbender deflected with her own attack. The counters clashing and spraying warm steam over them. Across from them, Azula leaped from the top of a crystal cluster and shot her own attack at Katara's feet. The waterbender lowered her water quick enough to catch the attack before she raised it to stop the blast of fire Zuko shot at her.

Zuko swung an arc of fire around himself and Azula shoots a blue fire ball. The fire ball made a direct hit; throwing Katara backwards. Her body collided with a mound of crystals. A trail of blood dripped from her forehead as she fell to the ground. Her eyelids grew heavy as unconsciousness sunk in and over took her. Her hair, having fallen loose during the fight, fell around her and covered the girl's dark face.

A rumbling filled the catacomb; Azula and Zuko turned their heads to the noise. They barely had time to adjust to the cloud of dust that rose from the air before Aang launched himself dozens of feet into the air. The Avatar slammed his body into the floor, cracking the stone ground in the process. The action shock the entire area. Zuko stumbled slightly with the imbalance. Azula showed no signs of losing any balance. Lifting his gaze from his now righted stance, Zuko had time to see Aang cause the mound of stone below his feet to rise as he skated towards them. The siblings readied themselves for the attack.

A smile spread over Azula's face, as Zuko stood slightly nervous by the furious and determined expression that played over the young boy's face. Zuko glanced sideways at a gleam of dark green. his eyes followed the movement as a Dai Li agent jumped in front of them. Raising his arms, the agent toppled the mound of earth. The Avatar went sailing to the floor. Zuko winced at the colliding sound the child made as he skated to a halt.

"Keep your mind focused," Azula hissed as she watched the appearance or quilt ting for a moment on her bothers face. Zuko pushed the emotion down remembering where and when he was.

Aang wearily picked himself up and looked around. Dai Li agents began to fill in from the cliff tops above, forming long rows behind a furious looking Azula and Zuko; who kept his face stoic.

In the distance, Katara regained consciousness as a swarm of Da Li agents dropped around her. She drew herself to her feet she bend the fallen water from the channel and formed a ring of water around her. Moving her stance constantly, the water shaped into eight tentacles. Her eyes moved passed the agents before her and locked on Aang' form. His mouth moved to form words that were not audible to her ears.

He turned from them and earthbent a crystal structure as he dropped to the ground. The moments ticked by as nothing moved.

The crystal structure glowed in the dark cave.

-oOo-

The bison lowered itself to the ground for Katara to pick up the other members of their team. Sokka helped Kuei and Bosco onto the creatures back. Smellerbee gripped Longshot's hand as she was pulled up. Lu Ten glanced back at the palace as Toph stepped from his hands and gripped the bison's fur. Sokka pulled himself up as well.

"Lu!" Sokka's voice called out. Lu Ten lifted his eyes at the hand placed before him. "We need to go."

**-oOo-**

**So, big question was answered in this chapter? Where in the heck is Lu Ten off to? There were a lot of different ways this could go down, and this little tidbit was a stopper for getting a lot of this chapter done.  
****Option one: He leaves the city. Was original plan, but after figuring out timing and all that, it fell through.****  
Option two: Have Lu Ten met up with Smellerbee and Longshot and they stay away from the house long enough for Katara to be kidnapped and have them return just before Iroh. Lu Ten spoilers! Le Gasp! I can see plot bunnies for here…  
Option three: Same as two, but they spend a bit longer in Ba Sing Se, so get there after Iroh and them have left and find Di Lee agent sitting there. Plot bunnies a bit weaker…  
Option four: I point him in the direction of the Jasmine Dragon, and he gets there just before Iroh and Zuko head out to palace. That would mess with the whole shows timing… Probably would destroy the space time continuum and collapse the fourth wall  
Option five: Di Lee is looking for him. Young man, alone in the streets of Ba Sing Se, he's so arrested. Most plausible, and can be easily worked into the existing plot of the show without destroying too much.  
So you can see my dilemma. Each plot line has a story that can be spun from it; there was just the matter of figuring out which one I wanted to tell.**

**Worked a bit of the original episode into this, mainly because it wasn't enough just with the Lu Ten part. From here on though, I am messing with everything and changing it up. **

**Yes, when Lu is wandering the streets at the beginning that is Zuko and Iroh he hears. If only the three of them had come face to face. Would have broken the fourth wall… glorious destruction.**

**They also get to the tea shop after Zuko and Iroh have left for the palace. To clear that up.**

**Did a bit more with the cave scene. Relationship Spoilers? Maybe… maybe…**

**Big fan of the Katara and Zuko part of this. Lu Ten didn't get as much time this chapter. Especially since this is his story. Oh well, he'll have the rest of this to himself.**

**Ty Lee and Mai had a moment where they almost recognized Lu Ten. More on that to come…**

**Lu Ten has now run off with Team Avatar… who still don't know who he really is. **


	8. Justice- Rev Theory

**Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar, or any characters of the show.**

**I am so sorry for the delay in updating this. The time I sat aside to write this got shoved aside due to family issues, and the past week has been nothing but stress, working and catching up on homework. It was like, one pile of crap after another. And then when I finally get back and able to write, I have the genius idea to scrap everything I had written for this chapter and start over. Chose the backup plot line I had set for this, and completely change the whole game plan for this thing. That's just how I roll.**

-oOo-

Iroh's head lifted from his prison cell at the sound of a metal door being shifted open. His golden eyes, bright with shoved aside tears, locked on the green form that stepped into the dusty cell. The former Fire Nation general sat, with his legs crossed before him, in one of the lower cells under the Earth Kingdom palace. His only barricade from escape, the heavy metal door that lead in and out. There had been a time when he had imagined the joy the Earth Kingdom would have felt to have had him, the younger him anyways, locked in these confinements by their hands. But as fate played it, it wasn't the hands of the Earth Kingdom that placed him here. It was the actions of the nephew he had grown to view as a son.

"I was beginning to worry you had already decided to not visit, Prince Zuko," Iroh heard the sigh that graced his words as his nephew came into view. Zuko held in his hands a tray, a tea pot and two cup placed on it.

"It's only been three hours," Zuko shrugged. Iroh caught the way the boy bit at his bottom lip as he placed the tray onto the stone ground. With shacking hands, he poured the contents of the pot into the two glasses. He lifted a glass to his former teacher. "It took a bit for everything to register."

"And why are you here Zuko?" Iroh took the cup, noticing as his fingers brushed against Zuko's that the boy's felt a tad colder than what he usual high temperature was. Iroh pretended to take no notice, and sipped the tea handed to him. It was, bracing to say the least.

"Its jasmine," Zuko looked down at his own cup that rested in his hands between his crossed legs. "I still don't make it as well as you do."

"Did you come only to discuss tea?" Iroh raised his eyebrow, and hide the smile that was trying to take over his face, behind his cup. He took in the little thing that Zuko was subconsciously doing; things that anyone who did not know the young prince as well as him would over look.

"I wanted to apologize," Zuko's head was turned to the side, a clear indicator that he was too ashamed to face the man directly. Yet, his eyes were shifted so that he could see Iroh, which allowed the general to see the pure remorse and honesty behind his words. Zuko's hands gripped the cup tighter, still not having taken a drink from it.

"Oh really," Iroh smiled as he took another sip. Zuko turned his head fully towards him. Young golden eyes met an elder pair.

"I know it doesn't mean much now," Zuko's head shock slightly as he spoke, "and it doesn't make up for what I did, but I still want you to know that I am truly sorry. I know you won't forgive me, and I don't ask you to, I just need you to know that I didn't want to hurt you like this. I never wanted to turn my back on you."

"Then why did you?" Iroh pressed farther.

"I didn't have much of a choice." Zuko answered shortly. "What was I supposed to do? Azula was going to take it all. She was going to have Ba Sing Se, and the Avatar, and it was _my __**job**_ to bring him down, and I couldn't just let her take everything. It was my only chance to… I did what I thought was right."

"They would have welcomed you," Iroh sighed, knowing full well that he did not need to elaborate on who he was speaking of. Zuko went ridged.

"Don't change the subject. And no, they wouldn't have," Zuko's voice was edging towards anger. "After everything I've done to them… that's not the path I'm meant to take."

"Then what is?" Iroh asked. "Do you really believe that this is where you are meant to be?"

Zuko' answer was muffled and more of a reassurance to himself than anything. "If it gets me home…"

"And what is home exactly?" Iroh heave a sigh as he spoke.

"What do you mean?"

"What really is waiting for you when you return?" Iroh closed his eyes, not wanting to look at the injured expression playing over his nephew's face. "You are playing and following right where your sister wants you to be. You are doing exactly what she wants, and you are choosing to allow her control over you if you continue to stay here under her influence. She is twisting you around her finger and manipulating you to do what she wishes.

"And if you think that your father is going to welcome you home with open arms, than you are wrong." Iroh wanted to stop and take back his words as he saw the destroyed look creeping and setting upon his nephew's face. But he pushed forward, knowing that his words would sting but they needed to be heard. "My brother is not the kind of caring man you wish him to be. It is a cold truth, and one that I wish you did not have to bear, but it is the truth none the less."

"You're wrong," Zuko's voice was suddenly light with fire. "You don't know what you are talking about. My father will be happy to see me, and he will restore my honor and everything will be as it should be."

"I am not wrong Zuko," Iroh felt the sudden spike of the temperature. "You are living a child's dream. It is high time you grow up and realize what the world is."

"You don't know what you're talking about!" The prince was suddenly to his feet, the cup of untouched tea spilling onto the floor and crashing against the kettle. Zuko's fists were balled into tight fists at his sides. His breathes were heavy, and his eyes seemed on the brim of tears. "Everything is going to be like it's supposed to! Like the past three years never happened! It's a clean start, a chance at the life I didn't get to have. This is my only shot at going home! At leaving all of _this_," he gestured to the cell they sat in, but the meaning was clear, "behind!"

"After all these years," Iroh picked up the overturned cup and placed it on the tray. He remained seated, but looked up towards the fuming child. "Do you really believe that everything can go back to the way it was? You are not the same man you were three years ago, Prince Zuko. You have grown, you have changed, and you were beginning to form your _own_ path. If you think that leaving the world, and the man you have become, behind is that easy, than you are not the boy I hoped you were."

Zuko looked upon his Uncle in disbelieve, but understood the words he spoke. "Even if you're right, it's too late to do anything to change it."

"It is never too late," Iroh spoke sagely. "It is never too late to choose good."

-oOo-

The outer wall of Ba Sing Se was still clearly visible as the GAang curled around the fire Lu Ten had lit for them. Katara remained on Appa's tail, cradling Aang onto her lap as she moved the water laced around her fingers over his chest and back. Sokka sat behind her, rubbing her back as she worked. The rest of those present, milled about the area; trying to find a comfortable place to rest as exhaustion sank in.

"It was Zuko," Katara's voice drifted through the clearing as she and Sokka spoke. "He sided with Azula in the end. I don't know what happened; there was a moment when I thought he would join us, but…"

Her voice faded out into the wind, as Lu Ten struggled to pick up the conversation without making it clear he was listening. Toph, nuzzled up beside him near the fire, picked up his tension.

"…and then Iroh stepped in to save us. I had enough time to get me and Aang out but…" her voice got lost in the wind for a moment. "…last thing I saw was Iroh getting captured by the Dai Li…"

Lu Ten felt his heart stumble a bit as the conversation was dropped into a more hushed whisper. The siblings looked at one another, before glancing up at the group around them; all of them in different states of sleep. The prince shifted slightly, trying not to disturb the earthbender currently using him as a pillow. Toph felt him shift, and drug her arms farther around his chest, burying her face into his chest.

"You're going after him aren't you?" Her voice was stifled by his clothes. His ears picked it up, and when the others showed no signs of waking or stopping their conversations, Lu Ten was sure he had been the only to hear.

"I have to," Lu Ten answered. He looked down at the girl, who seemed so young as she nestled against him. "He's my dad, I got to save him. It's like my job; babysitting him."

"I'm going with you," Toph's head bobbed down as she spoke. Lu Ten found it hard to believe that the same child he had stumbled upon in those caves years ago, had grown to become the hard pressing earthbender who shock the very ground. But at this moment, the mighty bender was a preteen, fighting a losing battle against sleep.

"No, you're not," Lu Ten chuckled as her head popped up. Her blank eyes narrowed at him, with an unseeing challenge.

"Why not!" Toph's voice lost a bit of sleep, as she seemed promptly alert at the shutdown. "What the Hell is wrong with you! You need me! Accept it!"

"They need you here," Lu Ten injected, watching as her eyes narrowed closer. "As much as I would love to drag you along, it's not a smart move."

"It'll be a quick in/out mission," a yawn escaped from Toph's mouth.

"It's not safe." Lu Ten sighed as Toph's head dropped slightly from exhaustion. "Dragging Aang back into the battle zone this soon-"

"-Than we'll leave them behind! I want to help! I own him." Toph held strong to her desire, despite the losing battle with sleep she was fighting.

"My dad will understand you not tagging along." Lu Ten couldn't quite figure out why the young girl was so persistent in occupying him.

"You're a kill joy." Toph stated. "How are you planning on doing this without us?"

Lu Ten blinked at the girl. "There's a town a few miles from here. I'll get an ostrich horse, ride back to Ba Sing Se, sneak in and get him. Then see what in Agni's holy name Zuko is doing this far from home as well. I'll probably avoid running into Azula. She doesn't sound like she'd be willing to sit down and catch up on lost time."

"Fine." Toph sighed. Her eyelids were slowly falling over her pale eyes. "Just make sure you punch Emo Boy and the Crazy Princess."

"Can I ask why?"

"I have yet to figure out just who Zuko is," Toph waved the hand that wasn't currently wrapped around Lu Ten's waist, in a dismissive manor, "and what he has to do with all of this, but if he betrayed Iroh, I want him hurt. And I owe the Crazy Princess a good beat down for _several_ things. You know what… you'll forget. I'm going to have to go with you."

Lu Ten heard the chuckle leak from his lips before he caught it. "Toph."

"What?" Her tone was indignant.

"I will be fine." Lu Ten was simple waiting for sleep to overtake her. "I'll grab dad and Zu, and catch back up with you guys after. Happy?"

"You're lying." Toph frowned as she rested her head against his torso.

Lu Ten smiled. "How can you tell?"

"Magic Powers." Toph's voice was waspy as a second yawn escaped from her.

"Have you ever thought of using your powers for good?" Lu Ten asked, knowing that the girl would soon be too exhausted to stop him in a few minutes.

"Sometimes," she answered. "But I prefer selfish…" she paused as a yawn escaped, "motives. That's a whole 'nother conversation though. I am going with you."

"No you're not."

"And how do you figure?" Her fingers tightened their grip on his tunic. Lu Ten didn't even realize the hold she held until now. "I am the world's greatest earthbender."

"You may be the world's greatest earthbender," her grip slacked as he spoke, "but you're also a teenage girl. More importantly, a very tired teenage girl who is about to fall asleep."

"I think… I think I can…" she raised her head towards him, not even bothering to force her eyelids to open, "beat… sleep."

"I promise I'll be safe." Lu Ten replied.

Toph's head dropped suddenly back onto his torso; her shoulders moved with her slowing breathe. "I'm going… you… fine. I need… sleep. Will I see… you in…. the morning?"

"Nope." Lu Ten shock his head. "I should be at Ba Sing Se by sunrise if I leave now."

Toph spoke, a yawn backing up each word. "Just… Just be careful. If you die…"

"I know. You'll be really sad." Lu Ten chuckled. He lifted his eyes towards the rest of the group, noting that other than Katara and Sokka, the others had all dropped somewhere on the hard ground to sleep. Bosco's large form breathed peacefully, Kuei laying his head against the bear's stomach. Jet, Smellerbee and Longshot huddled together on one of Appa's paws. Appa slept sound, despite being used as a pillow. Aang continued to rest, Momo curled at his head, nuzzling himself against the airbenders neck as if to comfort the sleeping boy. Sokka helped Katara stand, and motioned towards one of Appa's unoccupied paws.

"I was gunna say…" Toph's brought him back to the conversation at hand, "that I'd kick… I'd totally kick… just don't die."

"Okay." Lu Ten chuckled. "Don't worry, this isn't the last time we'll see each other."

"How do you know?" Toph asked her words hard to make out between her breaths. Katara dropped down onto the paw, and by the way her shoulders instantly began to rise and fall rhythmically, it became clear that she was asleep. Sokka pushed his sisters hair out of her face, seemed to whisper something to her, before he made his way back towards Aang.

Lu Ten waited a moment before he answered Toph's question. Sokka's rowdy snores grew as he fell farther into sleep. The camp fire at his feet flickered once in the wind before he replied.

"It's like what my dad used to say, paths that were meant to be traveled together, always end up meeting at one point."

Toph's easy snores ruffled his shirt. He looked down at the young earthbender, who despite her strengths and abilities looked nothing more than a sleeping child upon him. He smiled, and slowly undid her grip on him, careful not to wake her. Once free, he dug his arms under her, careful as he lifted her from the ground. She lay asleep in his arms, as he brought her towards the bison. Appa cracked an eye as Lu Ten carefully placed the girl on one of his many legs. Toph nuzzled against the fur, muttering something in her sleep.

Lu Ten withdrew his eyes from the children, and now dethroned king, and landed them towards the village that sat a few miles from where he stood. It seemed no more than a two hour walk, and the light from the fires of the town would give him a clear path.

Determined in his steps, Lu Ten strolled away from them. His foot rested just on the edge of the light from the campfire when he stopped. The prince cast one more look upon the sleeping members. No one moved, except for Appa who looked at him with a curious expression before closing his eyes, and allowing sleep to set back in.

Lu Ten turned back towards the town, and stepped from the clearing.

-oOo-

"So ZuZu," Azula snickered as she caught Zuko walking through the halls of the Earth Kingdom palace. "Is there a reason you're walking around, or are you really that bored? Because if so, I have a fun idea."

"I'm good," Zuko tried not to look at his sister as she walked beside him. There was almost a skip in her step; something that made Zuko worry.

"You are no fun," she teased. "Come on! There is so much stuff to set on fire. I never did like the color green. It's too dull.

"Just not in the mood," Zuko deadpanned. He resisted the urge to shiver at the carefree and almost innocent way his sister spoke.

"Is this about Uncle Fatso?" Her face held a smile, more like a smirk, one side pulled to a wicked sneer, and her eyes burned with a malicious fire that sparked and scorched into him. Despite her strangely cheerful attitude, she could not hide the cunning and mischievous glimmer of her face. "I know you went to visit him."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Zuko sneered. He took a sharp turn to the right, following the hallway he had traveled at least four times during the last hour. Azula caught up with him, taking the corner and striding beside him without missing a step.

"Really ZuZu," her tone matched her roguish expression. "Did you really think you could do anything without me knowing? I have eyes and ears everywhere. I hear everything, and I know everything. I would have thought you would have learned that by now."

Zuko let the cringe touch his shoulders as her words sunk in. She spoke them so easily, placing the threat just enough to intimate him without pushing too far. She strung him up like a puppet with her words.

"You might as well get your time in now," Azula's voice retained the mocking tone that seemed to be her default pitch. "When we get back to the Fire Nation, tea time will be a bit hard."

Zuko felt his heart stumble a bit at the mention of home. He thought that maybe it was just butterflies, nervous about finally going home. The bitter taste in the back of his throat, made it hard to play it off. "What do you mean?"

"Uncle's a traitor Zuko," Azula narrowed her eyes at him, her wicked grin growing larger. "You know the price of treason."

"But-" Zuko stop walking. Though his face had remained still, his knuckles were white as he clenched his fists. It took Azula a moment to realize that her brother was no longer wandering with her. She skidded to a halt, a few steps in front of him, and turned. Her eyes were narrowed in irritation. "He's-"

"He's a traitor," Azula hissed. She bit her lip, forcing back the emotion in her voice. A calm set into her sound. "He should be lucky that he's gotten to live this long."

"You can't be serious," Zuko did nothing to stop the anger from leaking into his words.

"The only reason he's still alive," Azula raised her hand as she pretended to inspect her nails, "is because father wants a public execution when we get back. I think it's about time, that old fuddy duddy is nothing but a pain."

"Azula," Zuko glared at her in an aggravated manner. "He's still our Uncle. You can't really be behind this."

"Are you questioning father's wishes," she scowled over her hand. Her knuckles were pale white; the long red nails caught the gleam of the hanging lanterns as she flexed her fingers like a cobra waiting to strike. Catching the expression his younger sister cast towards him, Zuko wished that he had held his tongue.

"No," Zuko looked down, ashamed at the way she could silence him with that one word.

"Good," Azula lowered her hand. Zuko didn't even see her close the gap between them, but he felt her warm hand as she placed it on his shoulder. She curled her fingers over his shoulder, allowing her nails to press through the fabric and put a light pressure against his skin. Zuko held back a gulp.

"You need at least one good side for portraits," Azula whispered as she stepped away. Her hand withdrew from her brother's shoulder as he quickly stepped away from her. His retreating footsteps could be heard behind her, but Azula paid no mind to them. Her focus was still on the way he had tensed under her touch at her words. A sick pleasure sank into her at the stress she could cause with mere words.

"I want you to watch him," Azula spoke when she could no longer hear her brother's footsteps. The pair of Dai Li agents stepped from the shadows of the wall and nodded towards her. "That should scare him back into place, but I want to be sure."

-oOo-

Lu Ten's feet hurt. That was all there was to it as he crept into the sleeping town. The moon above rested at its peak in the fully dark sky. Not a ray of sunlight was in the heavens above him. The city before him did not stir, unaware of the firebender stepping into their streets.

His footsteps crunched as the gravel road was pressed firm under his black boots. A light wind blew through the building, ruffling his shaggy black hair around with it. A few random strands stuck to the corner of his dry mouth. He sighed as he pushed them aside. Reaching behind his head to the loose ponytail, he twisted his fingers around the string to secure the fallen strands back in. His hair had grown too rugged to be pulled into a high Phoenix tail, and Lu Ten found it to be a lot less heavy if it was tied in a simple bundle at the nap of his neck. It was the hairstyle of a peasant, but it worked. And at this moment, whatever pride he had kept over the years, would only hinder his survival. So peasant hair it was.

The neighs of several ostrich horses sprang into the air. He smiled as he grew closer to his target. Lu Ten picked up his pace as the sound grew louder. Stepping through a set of buildings, his eyes landed on the several ostrich horses that stood in their stables.

He didn't stop to consider what he was doing as he leapt the fence and made his way towards one of the more nimble looking birds.

-oOo-

"Do you think Zuko will betray us?" Ty Lee's asked as Azula dropped into what had once been the Earth King's chair. The acrobat pulled herself from the back bend that should have snapped her back in half. She righted the loose green pants and shirt; that she had pilfered from a dresser in the palace, before dropping into a crossed legged sitting position at the base of the stairs. Mai sat on the opposite side, spinning a knife in her hands.

"My brother is useless, and incompetent, as well as highly reckless and stupid. " Azula sighed. She debated trying to wiggle in the chair to get more comfortable, but opted out of in in fear of someone noticing her moment of lack of grace. She decided to toss her legs over one side of the chair before she continued. "Whatever goes on in that head of his is impossible to follow. If he can betray our Uncle so easily than it will be just as easy for him to do the same to us. I am not fully convinced of where his loyalties lie. It's best not to underestimate him. "

-oOo-

Lu Ten paused at the city limits, just as he had previously done at the camp. His eyes narrowed in the direction he had come from, trying to spot the sleeping children he had left behind. Unable to spot the camp, he shifted his gaze in the opposite direction, towards the high walls of Ba Sing Se that even at this distance still stood foreboding over the hilly terrain.

They had flown for what had felt like only an a few hours, before the bison had made it clear that it needed to land. Now, on top of the stolen ostrich horse, Lu Ten pegged it as a two hour run. Glancing up at the sky, he felt as the sun began to etch its way through the night.

He would arrive just at sunrise.

-oOo-

"It's like midnight Zuko," Mai sighed. The prince in question froze in his steps. Turning to face her, he was unable to keep the sheepish expression from his eyes. "Why the Hell are you walking around at midnight?"

"Why are _you_ walking around at midnight?" Zuko shot back, his voice a pitch higher than normal. Mai wanted to grin at the way he stood before her, trying to hide the guilty look from his face. Even years later, he was still the awkward kid she had grown up knowing.

"That is none of your concern," Mai replied, showing no signs of her inner thoughts.

"Well," Zuko looked lost for an answer, "neither is why I am up. Now if you excuse me."

"The bed rooms are the other way," Mai spoke as he made a move to continue in the direction he had been heading. Zuko stopped and turned back to face her.

"Look," he pleaded, "There's something I have to do. Can you keep a secret?"

"I know how to keep quiet," Mai's answer stung her a little as she spoke. "But whatever you're doing, don't tell me. The walls have ears remember, and if you do something stupid, I do not want to get in trouble for you."

Zuko picked up on her warning and nodded. "Sure thing. And I'll make sure to remember that."

-oOo

Lu Ten had traveled all night, pushing the ostrich horse to its limits as the two hour run turned into three. But after what had felt like an endless journey, he had made it to the mountain pass outside of the city. The problem: getting through the pass and over the large body of water that stood between him and the city. It had been pure chance that he had showed up right as a convoy of refugees appeared and where ushered through a newly formed gateway. No one noticed as a golden eyed man lead his ostrich horse into the crowd.

He had been surprised to discover the ferry system that was working undercover to escort refugees into the impregnable city. He wandered farther into the secret facility. He wondered to himself how long ago it had been established. It had only been a few years ago that Ba Sing Se had fought its battle against the Dragon of the West. Lu Ten chuckled at the thought. While they had hammered away at a wall, the city had been receiving all the material it needed to hold out through this system.

"Passport," the shrill voice broke him from his daze. He lifted his eyes to meet the face of one very angry looking woman. She glared down at him as he stood staring. "Passport or more aside please."

"I don't have a passport," Lu Ten looked at her in confusion.

"Then step aside," the woman waved her hand dismissively.

"What?" Lu Ten's eyes widened. He gripped the reins of the ostrich horse he lead behind him tighter to control his irritation. "You mean I can't go into the city?"

"No passport," she glared, "no entry. That simple."

"Lady please." Lu Ten placed a heavy load of sarcasm in those two words. "Do you know what I have been though? I have come too far to get turned around for lack of passport. It was in the city earlier."

"Then you should have a passport," she sneered, gripping the stamp in her hands tight. "Now if you do not mind, you are disrupting my order. Do I need to call security?"

She gestured towards the large platypus bear that sat munch on something that looked like a leg of something once living. Lu Ten took one look at 'security' and shock his head. He stepped out of line, and drug his stolen ostrich horse with him. Grumbling to himself, he almost missed hearing the call for him to stop.

"Excuse me," the female voice sounded behind him. Lu Ten stopped and turned back to face the girl. Her black hair fell to her shoulders, framing a tanned face and brown eyes. She wore what Lu Ten imagined was some sort of uniform, as many of the people wore the dull green get up. "I think you dropped your ticket."

She extended her hand, displaying what appeared to be a ticket for the boat. Lu Ten looked at both it and her. "I didn't-"

"Just take it," she winked at him. "We always sneak a few extras and hand them out to those who can't get it themselves. And you look like you could use a break." Her eyes roamed over the many scars that traced themselves over his exposed him.

"Thank you," Lu Ten took the ticket. The prince wasn't sure if this was something set up by destiny or just pure luck.

"The new boat leaves in five minutes," the girl smiled at him. "If you get on it, you should be in Ba Sing Se in about an hour."

Lu Ten did not like the extra time placed in his path. But as this was the only way back into the city, he would have to take it.

-oOo-

"Where's Lu?" Sokka narrowed his eyes at Toph as he shock the sleeping girl. Her fist shot forward, colliding straight with the boy's chin. Sokka stumbled back, rubbing his injured chin.

"Damn it!" Toph shot up. "He left!"

"Left?" Katara blinked sleep out of her eyes as she stirred a few feet away. "What do you mean left?"

"He went back to Ba Sing Se," Toph rose. She stepped off Appa's foot, and landed on the ground. She buried her toes in the stone. "I can't believe I feel asleep!"

"Wait?" Sokka tried to calm the furious earthbender. "Why would he go back to Ba Sing Se?"

"Because of his dad," Toph answered.

"Who's his dad?" Jet's voice joined in as he and the others looked towards the conversation. All of them were awake; minus Aang.

"General Iroh," Toph responded.

"Who?" Smellerbee raised an eyebrow.

"Iroh?" Katara looked at Toph as if she had just sprouted wings from her back. "You mean Zuko's Uncle? That Iroh?"

"Are you sure?" Sokka blinked quickly.

"How long have you known?" Katara could hear the accusation in her tone.

"I've known who he was for a while," Toph shrugged.

"You're telling me," Sokka looked at Toph with an unbelieving face, "that Lu is General Iroh's son. That makes him Zuko's cousin. And the prince of the Fire Nation!"

"Thank you for pointing out his heritage," Toph rolled her eyes. "Would you like baby pictures to see if he looks more like his mother or father?"

"Okay that enough you two," Katara had gotten to her feet during all of this, and now had her hand on Toph's shoulder. "Toph, where did he go?"

Toph sighed. "Most likely back to Ba Sing Se. He heard you saying that Iroh helped save you guys and you didn't see him get out. He told me last night that he was leaving to rescue him. I feel asleep before I could stop him."

"We can't just fly into Ba Sing Se," Sokka looked between Toph and Katara. The latter looked at her brother with pleading eyed. "If you forgot, it's being run by a crazy princess. I'm sure Prince Lu will be fine when his little evil family finds him. We have Aang to worry about."

"I'm ready to go." The group turned around at the airbenders voice. All eyes widened a when they saw Aang on his feet, leaning against Appa's side. Katara was beside him in a moment, sliding under his arm to help him stand. The airbender accepted her support, his large grey eyes having lost much of the luster they once contained. His shirt hung off his in burnt rags.

"You're in no condition to go anywhere," Katara sighed as Aang winced. "You need to rest and heal."

"We can't leave them," Aang's grey eyes were pleading as he looked between all of them. "Iroh did help save us, and if Lu is really heading into Ba Sing Se to rescue him, than he's not going to be met with a nice force. I don't know how the royal family works, but Princess Azula has shown that she doesn't care if they're family or not."

"You are in no condition to go running into a fight." It was Smellerbee who spoke, shocking all of them. "We need to worry about getting you better."

"I can stay here," Aang found a solution quickly. "I can keep an eye on Bosco and the Earth King while you guys rescue them."

"As much as I hate leaving you like this, you do have a point." Katara looked at Aang before drifting her eyes to her brother. "We have to go back for them."

"You two are set on this, aren't you?" Sokka swung his gaze between Katara and Toph. Both girls nodded firmly.

"Let's just fly into the fire fight," Sokka threw his hands in the air. "Fine. But only because I'm afraid you two might highjack Appa when I'm not looking and go anyway. We need a plan though."

"Am I getting this right?" Jet scratched the back of his head in confusion. "You want to run into a city controlled by a firebender, to rescue two other firebenders?"

"The world sucks, doesn't it," Sokka moaned.

-oOo-

Lu Ten stretched his back as he stepped through Ba Sing Se. The ferry ride had placed him in the city roughly eight A.M. He had blended in easily in the Lower Ring. The Middle Ring had been easy enough to slip into, and he had passed through without a problem. The Upper Ring was a bit of a challenge. The gate that separated the two sections was all that stood in his path. Two guards patrolled those passing through. Too many people milled around for him to safely take out the guards and slip through.

That was when his eyes spotted the lone Dai Li agent, just an alley over from him. The man was well hidden in the shadows, keeping his attention and focus on something that Lu Ten could not spot. Dropping the ostrich horse reins, Lu Ten stepped behind the creature, congealing the diversion he needed in his mind before he acted.

He brought his left hand hard on the beast's backside, enough to startle the creature to charge. Lu Ten watched as the ostrich horse plowed forward, knocking over the crowd in its startled rampage. The prince quickened his steps, sliding behind the raging animal that was attack a stale, and heading for his target.

The Dai Li agent had been so focused on trying to avoid the debris being thrown through the air, that he didn't see the mass of green shove into his side. His head jerked forward as his body was thrown back into a wall from the blow. He raised his hands to attack. The quick blow against his nose stopped his assault. The Dai Li agent slumped onto the ground, his nose bleeding but otherwise alive.

Lu Ten stripped off the man's hat, muttered a swift apology, and began to pull the remained of the uniform from the man. He slide of his own clothes, now coated with dust and dirt, and slide into the Dai Li uniform.

-oOo-

"They're going to kill you," Zuko looked at his Uncle. The old man had been startled with Zuko had suddenly shoved open the door to his cell, and stomped in. He hadn't even bothered to sit, simply close the door behind him, before he had spoken.

"I figured as much," Iroh nodded his head.

"What haven't you escaped?" Zuko looked at his in disbelief. "I know you can."

"Because," Iroh sighed, "I would rather face the consequences of my actions, than be forced to run through the Earth Kingdom alone. I have done that once before, and it was not fun."

Zuko cringed at the way his Uncle offhandedly mentioned those few months when the two had been slip apart due to the young prince's selfishness. "So you're just going to let them kill you?"

"I have come to terms with what is at hand." Iroh answered, allowing nothing to seep into his words. "I would rather this, than be forced to always watch my back."

Zuko lowered his gaze from his Uncle. "Then I have to apologize for what I'm about to do."

"What are you-" Iroh stopped speaking when Zuko was suddenly at his side, faster than he had thought the boy was capable of moving. Something metal slide between his fingers, as he pulled at the cuffs that held Iroh's wrists to one another.

"Busting you out," Zuko's voice held layers of emotions. The key clicked, allowing the shackles to clatter to the floor. The sound of cold metal on hard ground echoed through the cell.

"I thought you said you had chosen your path?" Iroh smiled as he rubbed his raw wrists. Zuko didn't respond; but placed his arms around his Uncle's arm to help pull him to his feet.

Zuko raised his gaze then. Iroh caught the thin smile that stuck to the corner of his mouth. The teen's golden eyes burned with a sizzling passion.

"It's never too late to pick a new path." Zuko smirked. "Now shut up before I change my mind."

The cell was suddenly lit with light, as its door was pried from the hinges. The metal crashed onto the stone floor as a trio of Dai Li walked in, their heads bent low behind their large hats.

-oOo-

Azula looked over the city before her, the citizens moving about completely unaware that their precious sanctuary had fallen during the night. A cruel smile crept over her lips as she leaned her weight forward on the balcony railing. Ty Lee and Mai sat just off to her left. Below her, she could see the people look up towards the palace for a moment, either not seeing of paying any attention to the black haired girl, before they pressed forward on their day.

"They're so pathetic," Azula spoke. She chuckled malevolently. "Just wait until the soldiers arrive."

Behind her, a single Dai Li agent strolled in. He cleared his throat, a sharp signal that caused the princess to frown.

"Gather your agents," she addressed him with a harsh tone. Her back was still turned towards him. "I want every one of them following those two. Do not let them out of this palace."

"What's going on Azula?" Ty Lee asked, watching as the agent left.

"My brother," Azula's voice was flat. She cast her golden gaze up towards the blue skies. "You really are stupid, Zuko."

-oOo-

"This is too easy," Sokka hissed as he watched his sister slide off the bison's back, Toph and Smellerbee following behind her. He remained on Appa, along with Longshot and Jet. His blue eyes scanned the open courtyard of the Ba Sing Se palace. Not a single Dai Li agent moved in the early morning shadows. Not a sole person moved other than them.

"Maybe our luck is back," Toph shrugged as she knelt to the ground. Her pale hand pressed firmly in the dirt.

"Where is everyone?" Katara looked at her friend.

"They're on the move," Toph answered quickly.

"Coming this way?" Jet asked. His hand moved to where he usually kept hi stealth, only to frown as he noticed the weapon missing. "I need to pick up a new sword."

"Steal one while you wait for us," Toph nodded towards him as she stood. "They're going to opposite direction. Towards something. But they're going fast."

"Is that where we're heading?" Smellerbee looked at Toph, unsure how to react to the news.

"Yep," Toph grinned wickedly. "Dai Li heads are almost as fun to crack together as firebender's are."

"I don't like how happy she is about this," Jet narrowed his eyes towards the earthbender.

"Me neither," Sokka frowned. "We'll be flying overhead until you need us."

"As soon as we steal Shot's a bow," Jet jabbed a finger in the direction of their archer, "and me something sharp, we'll take out any Dai Li heading your way."

"Are you sure you don't want us in there with you?" Sokka focused his gaze on his sister. "I don't like the idea of you three alone."

"We can handle ourselves," Katara frowned in irritation, but understood the concern her brother held. She smiled at him. "Besides, you are not that good at stealth."

-oOo-

"Are you alright Aang?" Kuei, leaning against Bosco's body, addressed the airbender. Aang raised his head to respond from where he sat. His back was propped up against the cave wall. His eyelids fought to remain open.

"What?" Aang looked at Kuei like he had never seen the man in his life. "Oh, ya. I'm fine."

"You seem drowsy," Kuei stood, moving across the cave towards the boy. Bosco raised his head, but did not move.

"Everything just hurts," Aang shrugged. His eyelids felt like weights were strapped to the corners. "I just need to… rest…"

His eyes closed, and his head crashed forward onto his chest.

-oOo-

"I'm not sure I like this," Smellerbee stated as they followed Toph through the tunnel she was plowing. The Freedom Fighter held a large torch in her hand, the only source of light. The three moved under the palace, undetected and moving just below the mass of Dai Li who surged forward towards whatever it was causing them so much difficulty.

"The being underground part," Katara cast their newest member a smirk, "or the racing towards doom."

"Both," Smellerbee nodded. "I'm still getting used to the impending doom always hanging around. I mean, with the Freedom Fighters it was dangerous, and we were constantly running and fighting firebenders, but this is…"

"Crazy?" Toph interrupted. The earthbender stopped, the stone pressed tight before her. She raised her hand, and pressed it against the stone.

"A little," Smellerbee shrugged.

"You'll get used to it," Toph looked over her shoulder towards the girl. She flicked her raised hand slightly, forcing the stone blocking their path to propel itself forward dozen of feet.

"That is pretty cool though," Smellerbee whistled as they followed.

-oOo-

Zuko rounded the corner quickly, glad that he had memorized the halls of the earth kingdom palace before he had started this suicide mission. Iroh stepped behind him, catching up after he had blasted a mouthful of fire at their pursuers. Taking out the agents in the cells had been easy, there had only been three. Now, it seemed as if the entire division of Dai Li agents were behind them.

"We're almost to an exit!" Zuko yelled over his shoulder to his Uncle. He took a sharp turn to the left, only to be halted by a large mass of green clad men. Iroh stopped beside him. Azula stood at the point of them, her hand hung before her in an innocent pose that instantly reminded him of the painting of angels his mother used to show him. The evil glint in her eyes destroyed the virtue.

"ZuZu," she spoke to him like a child caught with their hand in the cookie draw, "I thought I told you I know everything you do."

"Let us through," Zuko demanded, paying no mind to her taunts.

"No. I don't think I will," the princess shrugged. Her tone turned icy. "Did you really think you could do this? Turn your back on my like that? I'm hurt."

"I don't want to fight you," Zuko spoke through gritted teeth, "but I will if you do not step aside."

"Fight me?" Azula chuckled darkly. "You? I would have thought by now, dear brother, that you would have realized you're no match. I've been besting and playing you since we were kids, what makes this moment any different? You always were useless and a failure. No wonder father wanted you gone so much."

"Do no listen to her taunts Zuko," Iroh placed a reassuring hand on his nephew' shoulders as he watched the boy's shoulders shake. "She is trying to bait you."

"Oh shut up Uncle," Azula rolled her eyes. "What would I bait him for? You've already lost, this is merely small talk. Besides, he should know what father really had in store for him upon his return."

"Let's go prince Zuko," Iroh tightened his grip.

"What are you talking about," Zuko hissed.

"You really thought he would want you back?" Azula's giggle was light hearted and childish. "After all the trouble and shame you have brought? No, he wanted you out of the way."

"Let's go Zuko," Iroh pulled on his shoulders. This time, Zuko gave into the tug, and stepped back.

"He was going to kill you," Azula's voice froze his backwards steps. "You and Uncle we're going to be executed together. Everything is already set. The only detail left was which one of you got to watch the other go first."

"You're lying," Zuko stepped towards her, despite the tight grip his Uncle had held on his shoulders moments ago.

"I'm not," Azula snickered. "But I see now, that waiting for a public execution isn't going to work. Father will be displeased to learn that he doesn't get the privilege to rid the world of you two. But I think he'll understand why I had to do it."

She moved with the stealth and grace of a cobra. Azula's fingers flicked through the air, picking up every spark of friction she could find. Her long red nails were like a guide line as the lightening shot forward. She smirked as she watched Iroh step to close the gap between him and Zuko. The general was pushed back though by the teen he was trying to save. Everything moved in slow motion.

Zuko's hand shot forward at the last moment. The lightening caught in his fingers, and traced its way through his arm, only to disappear into his body for a half of a second. It erupted from him, winding and racing over his other arm as he brought it forward. His hand floated, suspended in midair as well as mid focus. A thousand emotions played behind his eyes.

Azula gulped as the lightening left his touch and rocketed towards her. She found herself frozen by an emotion she did not know. The lightening crashed at her side, causing the crowd of Dai Li agents to cower as the blast tore apart the floor. The princess was thrown to the side, her hands pressed firmly against the ground to stop her fall.

Her leg burned, having caught a flicker of the lightening when it struck the ground beside her. She remained laying with her stomach to the ground, as she lifted her eyes expecting to find her brother gone. To her surprise, he was still there, staring down at his hands as he shoulders rose and fell heavily. Both siblings looked at one another, in mutual understanding of what had just taken place.

Azula bit the inside of her lip in fury as this event registered. He had sent her lightening back at her. He had taken her most powerful attack, and shoved it into her face. She was on the ground, as he remained at his feet. Azula narrowed her eyes as their uncle placed a hand on her brother's shoulders. They both thought she was down for the count.

Zuko jumped at the touch, but withdrew his eyes from his sister. Azula was glad for two reasons when he turned away from her. The first was that she didn't have to look into his eyes that while normally showed everything he felt, were now unreadable by the large amount of emotion running through. The second, was because he wouldn't see her attack.

Her second assault was a lot more ridged than her first, but the prodigy managed to spin her legs around, casting a blue flame from her heel. She found herself in a sitting position as the strike flew forward. Iroh was the first to register the rush of fire; he shouted something that was lost in the roar of the flames. Zuko turned as well, raising his arms to block the blaze that he knew would burn.

The heat rushing towards him suddenly cooled. The prince had to blink several times before he understood what had stepped in the flames path. A lone man in Dai Li green stood between the warring siblings. The flames he had just parted flickered in the air as they blinked out of existence.

-oOo-

"What's wrong Toph," Katara picked up the flash of concern over the younger girl's face. A moment ago the too well known sound of lightening crackling upon impact had ripped through the tunnel.

"They've stopped," Toph answered as she pushed the stone forward harder than she had before.

"Is that good?" Smellerbee looked between them.

"It means we're close," Katara nodded.

"It means we need to go quicker," Toph was at the tunnel end quickly as she shoved it faster and harder.

"Are Lu and Iroh there?" Katara raced to catch up with the earthbender who was plowing through the stone with a force to break her hand.

"Ya," she answered shortly. "So are Azula and like forty Dai Li."

"Is that all?" Smellerbee didn't mean for the sarcasm to leak into her words.

"They're someone else," Toph's face crunched in concentration. "I don't know the footsteps, but they're familiar. The heartbeats like Lu's, but much more rapid."

"It could be Zuko," Katara fizzed.

"Whoever it is," Toph shoved again, "feels like he's about to have a heart attack."

-oOo-

"I don't see how anyone can fight in this uniform," the stranger spoke. The royal family present directed their gaze firmly upon him. "I feel like this hat is way too big."

"That voice," Zuko whispered. Azula repeated similar words as she slowly stood. Her leg ached from the wound, but she pushed the pain aside.

"It can't be," Iroh subconsciously stepped closer.

The man lifted his head, his back still turned toward Zuko and Iroh. The large helmet slide from his head, revealing long ebony hair tied into a messy ponytail at the base of his skull. Azula's face turned white, and she took a step back as if she had seen a ghost. When the man turned around, and Zuko gained the chance to see his rescuer, he looked right into the eyes of his cousin and understood his sister's reaction.

"Lu Ten?" Zuko's voice was plagued with pleading and prayer as he looked into the eyes of the cousin he thought long dead.

"Attack them!" Azula screamed, not allowing the reunion to take place farther. Zuko dropped instantly into a fighting stance as the Dai Li scrambled to their feet. Only twenty of them moved towards them. Iroh behind him and Lu Ten before him readied themselves as well.

-oOo-

"They're right above us," Toph tilted her head back so that her face was angled towards the ceiling of their tunnel. "I suggest you get to a wall quickly"

Katara and Smellerbee obliged the order, scrambling out of the way as Toph shoved her petite fist into the solid stone wall behind her. The ceiling above them opened, like the mouth of some large creature. From it, fell three men. The dust that fell with them made it impossible to make them out. Toph smirked, and the newly created hole swallowed itself. The air above them seemed to suck towards the exit. Their torch went out suddenly.

A curse slid from Smellerbee's lips as one of the firebenders lit a bright flame in his hand.

-oOo-

"Young Avatar," Kuei probed Aang's shoulder. The young airbender showed no signs of waking.

The airbenders shoulders rose and fell in a steady rhythm.

-oOo-

"Can we please throw Zuko back up there?" Katara whined as she followed the hands holding the flame to meet the familiar scarred face. Her blue eyes shot daggers at him, as his golden orbs threatened to set her on fire at the spot. The tension was broke whenever Smellerbee shoved the now unlit end of her torch into Zuko's chest.

"Damn it," Smellerbee cursed. "Light my torch, Lee. You stupid firebender."

"Smellerbee?" Zuko raised his one remaining eyebrow at the girl as he followed her wishes and lit the torch. "What are you doing here?"

"Saving your ungrateful butt," Katara hissed. Zuko stood the flame still in his hand as he stepped towards her.

"I don't need your help," he growled.

"Are you sure about that," Katara mocked as she closed the distance between them. There was a good six inch gap that separated them. The top of her head was level with his shoulders, but the height difference did nothing to deter her anger.

"Children please," Iroh placed a hand on both of their shoulders; neither having realized he was beside them. "If we could set aside our anger for half an hour, I do believe we have an escape we need to complete."

"Toph," Lu Ten directed his comment toward the smug looking girl, "how long till they break through this floor."

"Not until I want them to," Toph smirked as she stepped from the wall she was leaning against. "Momma speaks to the Earth remember."

"Then I suggest we get moving," Lu Ten looked towards Katara to confirm. The girl dropped her heated stare from Zuko long enough to nod.

"We have to walk back up this tunnel," Smellerbee moaned.

"Unless you would rather go upstairs," Zuko shrugged. Smellerbee landed a quick punch into his shoulder; the flame in his hand quivered at the attack before it burned solid again.

"Who said anything about walking," Toph shoved her way into the front of the group. Her bare foot raised a foot into the air, before she slammed it into the ground. Before them, rose a large stone slab. "Momma rides in style. "

-oOo-

"We don't have any money," Sokka held the sword in his arms closer to his chest as he spoke with the man who ran the weapon's store that him and Jet had been caught breaking into. It turned out, weapons store closed for lunch in the Upper Ring, not the best place to rob. "But we have really good reasons to need these."

"I'm calling the Dai Li!" The elderly man yelled as he waved his fist towards them.

"Come on old man," Jet sighed as he slid the pair of hock swords into the sheath on his back, and picked up the bow and couple quivers of arrows. "This is serious business here."

"Please don't call the Dai Li," Sokka whined. "It's not like it would do any good. Most of them are at the palace right now, serving one crazy Fire Nation princess and I highly doubt they will come here."

"What are you talking about?" The man growled.

"Look," Jet rolled his eyes. "We're friends of the Avatar, and we need these weapons for Avatar related business."

"Do I look stupid?" The man yelled.

The two boys cast each other a glance before they nodded.

"Highly," Jet smirked.

"But that has nothing to do with you letting us have these weapons," Sokka smiled.

The old man grumbled, and made a move to grab the broom behind the counter. Jet and Sokka took this as their cue to leave. Hopping over the store shelves, they made their way out the back door they had broken in through and clambered onto the back of Appa.

"Yip, yip!" Sokka yelled. The bison kicked off the ground as the old man stepped outside.

-oOo-

"Next time you have a bright idea," Katara panted as she leaned against the wall of the palace, "remind me just to walk."

"It got us up here quickly didn't it," Toph glowered. She rested her hand of the wall her friend was leaning on, as she studied the flow that ran through it.

"Is anyone nearby," Smellerbee asked, her back was turned to them as she peaked around the corner they had just come from.

"How would she know?" Zuko demanded. He stood next to the earthbender, looking in wonder at the pale green eyes that lay under her thick bangs.

"Mamma speaks to the earth," Toph shrugged. "We lost Princess Crazy and her band of idiots. But-"

"But what?" Katara raised an eyebrow. Her eyes left the earthbender and scanned the room.

"But we're much worse than the Dai Li." The fast, dull voice drew all eyes to it as the doors on the opposite side of the room sprung open. There standing in the doorway, was a tall lanky woman, her thick black hair done in small buns, dense bangs cast a dark light over the top half of her sharply built face. Beside her stood the acrobat Katara had grown to hate. Her long brown hair danced in an unseen wind, and her childlike face held a carefree expression. Both girls were clothed in green.

"We really are," Ty Lee nodded, her smile growing big. Her eyes examined the group before her. Grey eyes widened as she spotted the tallest member of the group. "Lu Ten?"

"You've grown Ty Lee," Lu Ten nodded at the girl, who last time he had seen her only stood about three foot.

"I knew it!" Ty Lee clapped her hands together. "I knew it! I thought I saw him! Didn't I tell you Mai, I thought I saw him? We thought you were dead!"

"Common misconception," Lu Ten smirked at the way the girl babbled like a child.

"As happy as we are to see you," Mai cast her friend a look which calmed the girl, "and trust me I am ecstatic, there is a little problem of those two." Her dark eyes landed on Iroh and Zuko beside him. "We can't let them leave."

"You can have Zuko," Katara stated, earning a glare from said firebender. "We don't really need him."

"Can you get over yourself," Zuko turned to the waterbender.

"Excuse me," Katara glared as she rounded on him. "I know you are not talking to me."

Zuko's next response was silenced by a heavy sigh from across the room. He noticed Mai's hand reaching into the sleeve of her dress as she did it. The flash of black metal shot through the air, dragging its way towards its target. Both he and Katara moved at the same time to yank Toph out of the way of the projectile. He was first to grab her, and as he spun her away, the dagger tore a hole through his shirt before embedding itself into the wall where her head had been.

"Thank sparky jr.," Toph smirked as she righted herself after the spin. Zuko let go of her shoulders as the earthbender dropped into a fighting stance. In one fluid motion, she pried a large rock from the floor in front of her. She didn't even blink as she shot it forward.

Mai and Ty Lee only had a second to react. The two threw themselves in different directions as the stone sailed down the hall. Mai was quickly met be a line of water that wrapped around her arm and froze. The knife thrower frowned at the girl at the other end of the water. Katara glared back, a smirk in her lips.

"Watch out!" Zuko's voice startled Katara when she heard it. She turned to move her glare onto him, but the quick flash of green stopped her. The waterbender felt Ty Lee's fingers jab her, just shy of the pressure point. She dropped her concentration on holding Mai, in order to dodge the new threat.

Katara's eyes widened through, when she realized the acrobat had already been subdued. She stood, fighting against Zuko who held her arms behind her back. She lifted her leg to try and kick him off, but could find no purchase as he dodged her attack.

"You got her," Lu Ten asked. Iroh chuckled beside him at the growl that escaped his nephew's lips, and the defeated expression that played over Ty Lee's as she stopped fighting.

"Ya," Zuko answered. The sound of something colliding onto the ground drew their focus away. Mai was glaring down at the holster, loaded with knifes, that lay at her feet; the binding having been shattered by the extreme cold. Her eyes lifted, and a hint of a smirked graced her features as she kicked the weapons towards them.

"Oh no," her voice was flat, but held almost something that resembled sarcasm. "Those were my best ones. I guess I'm defeated."

"What are you doing Mai," Ty Lee screamed at her friend. "I can't take them all by myself! My wrist still hurts from when I fell." She stomped her foot like a tantruming child. "And Zuko's not letting me go."

"Looks like we should just surrender," Mai crossed her arms over her chest and shrugged.

"Azula will be mad when she learns they got away." Ty Lee frowned.

"We were outnumbered, you were injured and I lost my best daggers." Mai continued.

"We could just say we never saw them." Ty Lee's face lit into a smile. "The palace is a big place, and there are lots of exits. Maybe the Dai Li had better luck."

"Good point." Mai nodded. "Just wasn't motivated enough to find them."

"If you take the stairwell to the right," Ty Lee shifted in Zuko's grip the best she could to look at the others, "it'll take you outside."

"But you already know that," Mai smirked at Zuko, "because you memorized the halls."

"How did you-" Zuko began to ask.

"Are you letting us go?" Smellerbee interrupted.

"If you leave within the next thirty seconds that is," Mai deadpanned.

"What about you two," Zuko looked between the girl he still held, and Mai.

Mai shrugged. "The friendship of Hell continues."

"We should really get together some time." Ty Lee smiled as she effortlessly broke from Zuko's grip. The firebender was stunned when Ty Lee split the hold he had on her, and used his shoulders for her to flip herself behind him. He spun to face her, only to find her arms wrapped tightly around him. His frown softened at the hug.

Ty Lee let him go and smiled. "You know, when everyone isn't trying to kill each other."

"If you all do not leave soon someone will spot you." Mai sighed as she walked towards them. Her gaze was on Ty Lee who had just let go of Lu Ten as was currently wrapping Iroh in a large hug.

"Mai," Zuko stepped towards the younger girl. She raised her hand to stop him.

"If you hug me," she couldn't stop the corner of her mouth turning up slightly, "I will be forced to remember that I hold a lot more than one dagger holder on my person. I just cleaned them, I don't want your blood all over them.

"Thanks," Zuko smiled, despite the threat.

"Don't mention it," Mai crossed her arms over her chest as Ty Lee skipped beside her.

"If you ever want a change of paths-" Iroh looked at the two girls.

"Ya, ya, ya." Mai waved her hand towards the door that would lead them out. "Tea, love and all that. Got it. We'll remember."

-oOo-

"Nice shot," Sokka whistled as Longshot's arrow collided into the leg of the Dai Li agent below.

"We call him Longshot for a reason," Jet smirked.

"I've been meaning to ask you 'bout that," Sokka said. "What is your real name? Oh, there's one coming up."

Longshot drew back the bow string, letting the arrow rest in its place. His fingers twitched slightly as the dart shot from his hold. The projectile soared through the air, wiggling in the wind but not falling from its path as it struck the Dai Li agent below. "Kyle "

Suddenly, Appa surged forward towards the palace.

-oOo-

"Will you stop blowing that whistle of yours," Zuko hissed at Katara, who held a bison shaped object to her mouth as she blew into it was the force of an airbender.

"Yes it is," she took her mouth off long enough to yell at him. "Now shut up!"

"Um, guys," Smellerbee nudged her elbow into Katara's side. "As much as I would love an argument, can we deal with this first." Her eyes scanned over the group of Dai Li that surrounded them. There were only about thirty, but all routes were blocked by them.

A growl sounded above them. All eyes landed on the large bison that landed in the center of the circle. He lifted his bulky tail, and let it crash into the ground. The impact shock the earth, and the mass of wind that raced afterwards shot the Dai Li caught in it backwards into a massive pile. Toph moved at the same moment Appa's tail landed. She jumped into the air, and upon landing caused a ripple wave to roll from her feet and towards the remaining Dai Li. They scrambled away, or were knocked down.

"I'm not good at stealth," Sokka leapt down from his place on top of Appa's head and wrapped his sister in a tight hug. "You three made a mess."

"Shut up," Katara chuckled as she let her brother go. "We should probably get out of here now."

"That might be wise," Iroh spoke.

"I don't think so." The sharp, shrill, but still youthful voice of Azula was like nails on a chalkboard to their ears as they turned to face the princess. Her eyes were tight and cold, dirt caking her pale face, and her hair undone from its tight bun. The bottom half of her stolen green clothes were charred, in a similar fashion to the way the bottoms of Katara's blue dress was. The princess's right leg held a bright red burn. "No one is leaving here. At least not alive!"

She spun on her heals, shooting a jet of bright azure flames from her outstretched hands. Iroh, Lu Ten and Zuko stepped before the others, raising their hands to disperse the attack. They were shoved back inches by the force, but the flames drifted into the air before fading. Azula didn't wait for any of them to strike back, she kicked her leg forward, sending another stream of burning fire at them. It was stopped as well, but Appa gave a yelp beside them, as the bison began to back away from the fight.

"We need to go!" Sokka grabbed his sister's hand. The group piled onto the now calm bison, Zuko shooting one last attack before his uncle grabbed the collar of his shirt and pulled him up. He clung desperately to the creature as he began to shift for flight. Katara was a foot from him, and having a similar problem. Her grip loosened for a moment, and she began to slide. Zuko stretched, unsure as to why he was doing it, but grasped her hand and drew her back up. Katara looked at the hand that had saved her, before she glared at him. Her heated stare softened just a bit.

The bison took off.

-oOo-

Azula let an animalistic growl escape her lips as the bison shot into the sky, avoiding the on slaughter of flames she bombarded upon them. The beast flew high, passing over the walls of the palace and heading towards the open fields outside of Ba Sing Se.

"Get me up there!" Azula screamed, shoving her thin finger in the direction of one of the palace towers. The earth beneath her feet shrivel under the Dai Li's touch as they rose it high into the air, the Fire Nation princess at the center. She bent her knees before launching herself forward towards the tower. Her thin hands grasped the pole extending from the top, and she wrapped her delicate looking fingers around the stone. Her feet skidded across the marble.

The bison was just over the edge of the outer wall.

Her left hand laced itself through the air, before it fired off a blast of cobalt light. Lightening rippled through the air as it flew undeterred in the direction of her targets.

-oOo-

Katara clung to the bison's fur as they flew over the edge of Ba Sing Se. Her grip was life wrenching, and she did not want to let go in fear that the firebender who held her other wrist would let go if he had the clearest idea that he was the only thing holding her up as she tried to move. Sokka was too focused on navigating Appa through the shower of stones that were propelled at them. Katara could just make out Longshot's form on the other side of the bison as he released his own attack; Jet held onto the boy to keep him balanced through the bison's quick turns. Toph sat beside them, being held steady by Lu Ten as Smellerbee gave her directions of where the boulders that came to close where. Iroh was beside Zuko, and Katara realized that when he had slide down to grab her, he had nearly lost his balance as well. The only thing that kept them stationary, was Iroh's tight grip on Zuko's other hand.

She found herself suddenly being pulled up. It took her a moment to realize that it was Zuko who was bringing her closer to the safety of the bison's back. Reaching up, Katara tried to take the dark hand suddenly before her. Her eyes followed it, to meet the face of Jet, who was clinging to the bison was one arm, his legs wrapped around Long Shot who had his hands dug into Appa's fur as an anchor. She stretched to grasp his hand.

The unmistakable sound of lightening cracked through the sky. It was a sound that Katara had grown to know and fear. She felt it before she knew it hit. The hairs on the back of her neck pricked in the static.

Appa shot forward, the blast having struck one of his hind legs. Katara knew that the fur that covered Appa's strong skin had protected him from most of the blast, but the bison did not slow its neck breaking speed. Jet's hand was suddenly gone. Her grip in Appa's fur fell from her fingers. All that kept her from falling into the water that now flowed below them, was Zuko's tight grip on her wrist.

"Don't let go," Katara cried up to him, pleading that her enemy would not take this chance to rid her from his life. To her surprise, Zuko only tightened the grip he held on her and nodded.

"I'm not," he spoke through gritted teeth. Katara realized instantly from the pained expression on his face how much damage grabbing her had caused his arm.

The second streak of lightening had no warning before it came upon them. Katara had turned her head in the direction of Ba Sing Se behind them, only to spot the blue light that slithered towards them. The city was lost in the light as it barreled down upon them once more.

She was instantly falling. Zuko's grip on her hand was still present, but much looser.

"Katara!" She heard Sokka scream her name.

"Zuko!" Both Lu Ten and Iroh's voice mixed.

Katara found that she couldn't even scream as she fell. Her blue eyes locked on the fast moving river that they were plowing towards. She turned her gaze away, and screamed Zuko's name. The boy showed no signs of hearing her calls. He fell limp, his thick black hair billowing around his face. Terrified, Katara gripped the arm that still held her, and she pulled herself up until her arms were wrapped around his torso.

Zuko's eyes were closed; a long red cut traced itself over his unscarred check. His left arm was a mix of red, black and blues, from where he had no doubt been struck by the line of lightening. His heart still beat.

"Damn it," Katara tried to smack him awake as they fell faster. With a growl, she withdrew her attention from the prince and instead looked down at the water no more than a few dozen feet below in determination. The force of the wind against her made movement difficult, but she managed to swing her arm through the air enough to summon a stream of water upward. The platform of water opened and swallow them.

-oOo-

"Where did they go?" Sokka shouted as he brought Appa down over the water. All eyes searched the quick moving river, looking for any signs of their missing comrades.

"They're probably on land," Lu Ten breathed heavily as his golden eyes narrowed to try and better his vision.

"He's right Sokka," Toph's voice was laced with concern. "Katara is a waterbender, a river is nothing for her."

"But that height," Sokka shock his head as he tried desperately to spot his sister. "You're right. She's on land."

"We will find her," Iroh placed a hand on the Water Tribe boy's shoulder. "She has Zuko with her. I assure you, my nephew will not allow anything to happen to your sister."

"I'll take your word on the 'Zuko' part," Sokka muttered as he pulled Appa's reins toward land.

-oOo-

"Could you be any heavier," Katara moaned as she dragged Zuko onto land. The firebender made no move as she pulled him to safety and then unceremoniously let go. His head struck the ground. "You had to be unconscious now, didn't you! Oh, crap! You're bleeding!"

Katara lost all hatred as she dropped down to the left of him. The water from the river flew upon her hands easily. She brought them down upon Zuko's bleeding forehead. The wound that ran just below his hair line patched itself back together, the blood remaining dried on his skin. She moved the water down, turning the freshly made cuts and bruises into nothing but white lines.

She couldn't help but flinch as one white line joined the many white lines that already graced his skin. This was the first time she had gotten a chance to actually take in Zuko's physical appearance. Yes, in the caves she had gotten the chance to actually look at him, but not like this. Her hands ran over skin that only seemed to hold itself together by the faded scars.

He appeared much smaller than she was used to seeing. The first time she had spotted him, he had seemed so large, most likely the outcome of the sharp shoulder paddings he had worn. Even in the cave, he was smaller than before, but still so much bigger than her. Now, lying unconscious as she franticly moved her hands over the lightening burn on his arm, he seemed even smaller.

The sound of bushes shacking and a trig break caused Katara to start. She found herself rising, as her hands raised in a defensive position. Her fingers twitched in anxiety and anticipation as she prepared to fight off whoever sprang towards her.

To both her surprise and relief it wasn't the army of soldier or band of bandits she had expected. Instead, stepped out a small group; two teenage boys and a girl, their hands rose in surrender. Katara did not drop her guard.

"We do not mean you any harm," the girl spoke as she stepped forward. "My name is Lana. Please, you are hurt let us take you back to our village to heal you. It's not far from here, and we promise both medical attention as well as safety."

Katara cast a single glance at Zuko at her feet. The firebender breathed shallowly. She wasn't an expert healer, but Katara knew that if he did not receive immediate medical care, the damage would be permanent and possibly fatal. Katara turned back to the group, and nodded.

Exhaustion sank in the moment she saw the two boy's on either side of Zuko. They knelt down, and lifted him carefully between the two of them. The waterbender found that she did not want to let her gaze leave from Zuko. Lana was by Katara's side in that moment, and she found the girls hand on her shoulder as she guided her behind where the two boys walked.

Katara's eyes left Zuko's form long enough to scan the area for the first time. They were on the edge of the river. Trees surrounded them everywhere she turned, on both sides of the now narrowed river, and stretched up, blocking her view of the sky.

Ba Sing Se was nowhere to be seen.

-oOo-

**DADADAAAA!**

**So serious plot twist here. I bet no one expected that. If it makes you feel better, I didn't expect it when I first started working on this chapter. It was one of those, I can totally make this work and do it, kind of things.**

**Some important things.**

**Yes, Aang did wake up. Not for very long though, it was a short two hours of consciousness. Yes, he was struck by lightning and he shouldn't be up and running about, but let me explain. Okay, so you know how in Sozin' Comet, Zuko seems fine after being hit. My idea is that he's all okay for 'bout an hour after Katara healed him. But shortly after that he dropped and had a three day nap. This is what I'm doing for Aang. Because for one, it doesn't do anything for me if he's out for months. Break between the seasons, I got it. I don't need a season break, so Aang hibernation will not be as long. And they wouldn't go back to save Iroh and Lu Ten if Aang wasn't stable. Err… stabiler. Two, he does not get a nap when no one else does. So that is the just behind that.**

**Zuko… I don't even know what to say. I wanted his betrayal in the caves to take place because it gives me more to work with. But I didn't want him running off to the Fire Nation and missing all the fun. Plus, I love this idea of Zuko and Iroh playing a deadly game of hide and seek with Azula in the Earth Kingdom palace. **

**I know that the ferry ride to Ba Sing Se took like all night, but I didn't have six hours to spar. The boat was traveling at the speed of plot. Appa uses a similar mode of travel to fly faster in season three. Really, it's true. Hence, why Lu got into Ba Sing Se quicker. After some nice security guard flirted with him and snuck him onto the boat. Wasn't that nice. His poor ostrich horse though, left in the care of Ba Sing Se animal control.**

**The Toph/Lu Ten conversation at the beginning was fun. At first, Toph seemed really OOC, but after a bit of tweaking I fixed it. I know she's not some sweet and nice, but she is tired. It's like midnight, she's twelve and they all did just run for their lives. Even mighty earthbenders have a point to where they ramble a little sleeplike. **

**So seeing as how Zuko's not going back the Fire Nation, I needed a substitute for Azula's awesome line about making sure the painter got his good side. That will forever be the best insult that came from Avatar, and since it's not going to take place, I wanted to make my own. Plus I needed something to make Zuko leave abruptly.**

**The sibling rivalry between the two is really entertaining. They know each other like a book, and half the time they know exactly what is going through the others head. The other half, even books have surprise endings. **

**Yes, I was going to kill Iroh. Well, not me, more like Ozai was going to. I needed a reason for Zuko to change sides, and if he learned that his Uncle was going to be killed, he would have jumped on any band wagon to save him. That's undying loyalty and love right there. **

**Team Avatar goes back to save Lu Ten, and Iroh as well. They pick up Zuko. It was a good trip. Jet got a set of swords, Longshot got some arrows and a bow, and the team got three firebenders. They then lost one firebender, as well as their waterbender, but for the most part it was a successful trip.**

**Poor Mai and Ty Lee. They know when to quit while ahead. That moment of letting them go, will come back to play a part later. I have big things planned for those two.**

**Who are Lana and her two friends? The big question for next chapter.**

**Note: I'm most likely going to go back over the next week and work with some of the wording of this chapter. I've been working on it for the last five days, and while I want to get this uploaded now I also want to fix a few places that I might be able to think through better after a break from this. Right now, I'm a little shot and couldn't do anything if I wanted to.**


	9. Trouble- Never Shout Never

**Disclaimer: I own no character present in this fic. Well, any character who appears in the show "Avatar the Last Airbender". There are a few who I do own. Actually, there's like a whole town of them.  
Lu Ten: Hump.  
Me: You're back! Where have you been?  
Lu Ten: Ignored.  
Me: I'm sorry.  
Lu Ten: No you're not  
Me: I'm really am sorry.  
Lu Ten: Just… shut up, turn on your Emo music and write.  
Me: I'm sorry that not all of us listen to "The Girls of Ba Sing Se."  
Lu Ten: Now that's a good song. **  
-oOo-

Azula rested on the large bed as she fingered the light red burn that stretched from her ankle and disappeared under her rolled up pants leg. It was the remains of her previous fight with Zuko, and it stung under her touch, yet the princess could not take her attention away from it. She had not allowed the Dai Li doctor to inspect her injury; despite his requests and concerns of it causing future harm. She did not need some earthbender explaining the dangers of untreated burns to her. She was Princess Azula. She knew burns; they were the marks of the very element she controlled and commanded. She ruled over the flames that she cast upon the world.

Yet the mark on her leg was the falter in her confidence. She had not felt the stinging sensation of a fresh burn for years, and for this one to be delivered the way it had only made the princess more agitated and uneasy. She had long since cast aside any idea of Zuko ever catching up to where she stood. Her older brother had become nothing more than a weak fool who would only pull her down if she stood too close. Still, he managed to out match her.

He had stopped her attack, pried her most powerful ally from the air and turn in upon her. He hadn't even broken a sweat as the defensive stance took a more direct route. She didn't know how he did it, couldn't fathom where or how her brother had picked up such a skill that could be her down fall. Azula lifted her pale hands from her leg, until they were inches from her face. A thought crossed through her mind.

She looked at her hands, delicate looking in their shape but as dangerous and sharp as the long nails she grew. Azula remembered a moment months back, when she had first found herself on the path that would lead her to where she sat now. Her Uncle had performed a similar move to the one Zuko had. Her Uncle had clasped his hand over hers and diverted the lighting into the sky before it had even left her fingers.

Zuko had turned it back on her midair.

"I will not let it happen again." She spat. Her hands dropped the one absentmindedly brushing against the burnt skin. A prickle of pain laced from the contact. The physical ache only added to the mental distress she was feeling.

Zuko and her Uncle were supposed to be an easy target. An old man and a teenage boy who still didn't have full control over his bending. That was what she had originally signed up for, the Avatar only being added bonus on her mission. Yet in an ironic twist of events, the Avatar proved not to be as much of a challenge in catching as her two family members.

Three. There were three of them as Azula remembered the golden eyes under the Dai Li hood. There was no denying what she had seen. A ghost come back to life. A spirit brought back to haunt her. The phantom of her cousin set before them. Yet he had been alive, alive enough to stand between her flames and knock them aside with ease. He had been alive.

She had known it was him the moment her eyes spotted the golden eyes. The trait was common in the Fire Nation, but not to the intensity to which the royal family's eyes blazed. Their eyes were like the very burning flames they were born from. Despite the changes in him; the over grown hair, the forming of a dark beard that seemed to have been recently shaved, the thin frame, despite these things, he was her cousin. If it hadn't been for his eyes, and his voice, she could have played him off as simply someone who shared the same clear features. But she couldn't, for the man was as clear as day the cousin she presumed to be dead.

Or at least he was a skeleton of who he was. The man who had blocked her flames, who had forced her fire to fade, was not the cousin she grew up knowing. He was clearly different, whatever having taken place after he had, clearly wrongly, been declared dead, forcing this change in him.

He had helped Iroh and Zuko escape. He had climbed aboard the bison and fled with the Avatar's companions. His actions were traitorous. And for that, she would put him back into the grave.

Azula couldn't help but blame her Uncle for these events. The man had, through his constant care for Zuko as a child, instilled upon her brother the weakness that she detested. She had no time for compassion and empathy on her quest, but it seemed that Zuko was soaking up those emotions she considered feeble like a sponge does spilled tea. The elderly man as well seemed to have caused something to change in Lu Ten's mind to cause him to side against his nation. He had left home years ago ready to bring victory to the Fire Nation, and now he was not only alive but playing a large factor against her win.

The princess let a growl escape her lips. Outside the room window, the sounds of Ba Sing Se's inhabitants grew loud as the city bustled about, unaware of the events that had taken place. Azula let her pants leg fall as she swung her legs from off the bed. Her shoes let out a soft tap as they made contact with the floor and she stood. Her leg quivered just barely. Her eyes narrowed as the weakness was corrected.

The image of the scar stuck into her mind even after it was covered. It burnt at her flesh, and singed away at her pride.

-oOo-

"They couldn't have gone far," Sokka leapt down from Appa's head as the bison landed on the ground. Behind him, the others followed suit. Lu Ten was instantly by his side; Iroh farther down as the firebenders scanned the area for their missing relative. "Katara wouldn't have left a running source of water if there was trouble."

"Which should hopefully mean that they didn't face any threat," Lu Ten spoke, his gaze shifting from the scene to his father who seemed to be fighting the urge to grab his newly found son and embrace him. Lu Ten was fighting the desire as well, and he knew that if his cousin's life wasn't possibly in danger, he would have done nothing other than that.

"Guys," Smellerbee's voice came from feet away. The group turned towards her as she stood a blue ribbon hanging limp in her hand. "Isn't this Katara's necklace?"

Sokka was beside her in a moment, taking the necklace the girl held out for him. He gripped the ribbon tight, the stone pendant hidden in his hands. "They were here."

"They couldn't have gone far," Jet glanced towards the rushing river as they spoke. "There should be a few towns in the area."

"We'll need to split up than," Sokka raised his eyes from his sisters lost item. "I'll lead a group to go find Katara and Zuko, and someone needs to check on Aang and Kuei to make sure they're still safe."

"I'm going with you," Lu Ten declared.

"As am I," Iroh verbalized.

"Works for me," Sokka shrugged.

"You're going to need me to get through the terrain," Jet expressed, his gaze having been narrowed towards the two firebenders. "It would be easier than you three walking around blind and hoping to find a village they might be in."

"I do just fine," Toph muttered.

Sokka chose to ignore the comment from the young girl, and instead turned to Smellerbee and Longshot. "You two should take Appa to get Aang and the Earth King? Do you think you can do it?"

"Shouldn't be too hard," Smellerbee shrugged, casting an unsettling glance at the bison behind her.

"Take Toph with you," Sokka smirked, "she'll be glad to help."

"Let's just put me back on the sheading monster," Toph rolled her unseeing eyes.

"They'll need you to help find us after you get Aang," Sokka couldn't keep the chuckle from his voice. His next sentence irritated the girl, but he had not realized what he was saying. "We'll be heading in that direction, so make sure you take them that way when you're done."

"I'll be sure to remember that," Toph growled. Sokka picked up on what he had just said.

"Sorry Toph," the Water Tribe teen apologized. "It's just; sometimes I forget you're blind."

"Its fine princess," Toph waved him off. "I sometimes forget that there's a working brain in your head, so we're cool."

"Thanks," Sokka smiled at the young girl. "How far can your little foot sight go anyways?"

"I'll be able to pick out where you guys are," Toph frowned. "I've unfortunately gotten to know you're all's footsteps pretty well. As long as you're within about three miles, I can feel you guys and know where you are."

"So what you're saying is," Sokka grinned, "that you're attracted to my footsteps."

Toph landed a punch straight into Sokka's shoulder.

It was five minutes later; after Smellerbee had been shown how to fly, and good byes for now had been shared, that Appa took off, with Longshot, Smellerbee, and Toph on him. The bison flew into the air, leaving the four males to watch it disappear in the direction they had left their two other members.

"So dad," Lu Ten tried to keep his tone calm as he looked at his dad. The prince didn't have time to finish before his father drew him into a bone breaking hug. Lu Ten returned the hug as he wrapped his arms around his father, who was a good foot shorter than him, and his belly being a little smaller than last time he had seen him.

"I do not know how this is possible," Iroh muttered as he tightened his grip, "but I thank the spirits for bringing you back to me."

"It wasn't the spirits," Lu Ten spotted Sokka out of the corner of his eyes; the Water Tribe boy too distracted with checking the clearing for any signs of which direction his sister and Zuko went to notice the embracing family members. The sound of Jet moving through the grass told the prince that the Freedom Fighter was searching behind him.

"You will have to tell me where you have been," Iroh finally let his grip on his son loosen.

"I will," Lu Ten grinned as he let his grip loosen, but did not let go. "We've both got some catching up to do."

"Yo!" Sokka's voice broke their moment. "No offence, but hug later. We need to find my sister and the Prince of Jerks before Azula finds us."

-oOo-

The town Katara walked into was bustling with people who stopped and gawked at them as they passed. The waterbender had grown use to the attention she caused when she walked into town, mainly due to the bright blue clothes and dark skin that just wasn't seen this far or deep into the Earth Kingdom. Yet for this particular jaw dropping scene, it wasn't her that the eyes focused on. It was the unconscious teenage boy that was being carried in front of her on a make shift stretcher; four men stood with the edges of the cloth stretcher in their hands as they headed father into town. Zuko's face looked almost calm, minus the angry red burn that was a clear as lightening in the sky against his pale skin.

Lana kept a firm, but reassuring hand on Katara's arm as the two followed behind. For the first time since meeting the girl, Katara allowed herself a moment to fully take her in. Lana had to have been just shy of Katara's height, and her age was unclear, but the waterbender couldn't imagine her that much older than herself. Light brown hair was pulled back into two tight braids that fell down her back, and ended just between her shoulder blades; heavy bangs swept across to the right side of her forehead, and cast a slight shadow that made her eyes, a lush green, shine against her faintly tanned skin. A loose white blouse covered her thin frame, and was tucked messily into the brown pants that billowed around her legs like a skirt would.

"So what were you two doing out by the river?" Lana turned towards her with a large smile. Katara blushed, glancing away quickly hoping that the other girl had not noticed her staring.

"Um," Katara shifted her gaze towards Zuko, who showed no signs of recovering or moving, let alone giving her a hint for a lie.

"We were gathering the mushrooms that grow around the area," Lana suddenly spoke, much to Katara's surprise; that turned back to the girl, confused by the sudden share of information. Lana seemed to show no signs of noticing the other's expression and continued, hoping that her words would calm the jumpy brunette. "They only grow along the river side, and when you cook them just right, they're like heaven in your mouth. We had just picked a bunch and were going back for more when we found you."

"I'm sorry for putting your mushroom hunting on hold," Katara answered, glad that the subject of her and Zuko's sudden appearance seemed to have been dropped.

"It's fine," Lana shrugged, her face still keeping its smile. "We got more than enough. My brother, Naaman; he was the tall one with the little mustache who was with me earlier, was looking for a reason to come back to town anyways."

Katara let her eyes travel over the four men in front of them, who were joking about something as they carried the stretcher. Her eyes instantly found the one Lana had been talking about. He was the closet to her, on her side of the stretcher, and he seemed to leak out this carefree air as he chuckled at something. The mustache was more of a shadow needing to be shaved, but against his light skin it blended in nicely. His hair, tied into a loose ponytail at the back of his neck, was a slightly darker shade than his sisters, and only reached about an inch or two from the band that held it in the bundle. His eyes held the same green tone, and round shape that Lana sported. He could be no more than nineteen, and a head or two taller than Katara.

"And the other guy that was with you," Katara continued, happy to push the conversation farther from her.

"That's my cousin, Anon," Lana answered as she pointed toward the man on the immediate opposite of Naaman. Anon, who despite holding a very childlike featured face, could have been roughly six foot tall. He had to crutch in order to hold the stretcher, and it allowed his ebony black hair to brush against his shoulders and obscure the side of his face. Through the moving hair, Katara could make out eyes that did not appear green, no matter what light they would have been placed in. The hazel of his eyes was nowhere near as intense as Zuko's, but the gilt on yellow was clear against his pale skin, which was lined with thin white lines.

"Take him straight into the infirmary," an elderly female voice broke through the girl's conversation. Katara shifted her gaze until she spotted the short, solid woman who had spoken. She reminded the waterbender of Yakoda, had the healer sported much lighter skin and brown eyes. Her hair was grey, with a streak of pure white, and was pulled into a tight braid that fell down her back.

The woman ushered the men carrying the stretcher into the building behind her. They entered without a word, and disappeared through the door she held open. "Would you care to explain what is going on Lana?"

"I'm sorry for not sending ahead a better warning Miss Kiko," Lana bowed her head respectfully as they approached the woman.

"It's fine child," Kiko steered them into the building and closed the door behind them, shielding them from the gaze of the on looking crowd that had formed. Katara took a quick scan of the room she was now in. Zuko had been moved from the stretcher and was resting on one of the dozens of beds that lined both walls; his chest rose and feel to an unheard beat.

"Tell me what we're dealing with," Kiko stepped past them on her way towards the unconscious prince. She pulled up one of the chairs tossed around the room towards her and sat. The group, minus Anon and Naaman, cleared the wound.

"He was struck by lightning," Katara answered without a thought. "I'm not sure the exact spot, but I'm guessing it was his arm. It was really badly burnt earlier."

"I see," Kiko raised an eyebrow as she ran a hand over Zuko's arm, that despite being blistering mess hours earlier, now only held a light brown scar that spotted over the skin. "Where you the one to heal his injuring?"

"Yes ma'am," Katara nodded, instantly regretting her answer. Kiko simply made a noise that sounded like a hum as she turned to the stand beside the bed. With a steady hand, as if she had dealt with this sort of thing hundreds of times, she reached into the draw, pulled out a small bottle, and popped the lid. The liquid inside spilled a little as Kiko placed it to Zuko's lips and angled it upwards. Katara could see Zuko's throat move as he swallowed. The elderly woman tilted the bottle away, and Zuko's head seemed to sink farther into the pillow it was resting on.

"You are much better than they give you credit for," Kiko turned her face away as she placed the bottle on the table top, but as she turned Katara caught the smile; the action fitting right into the laugh lines that added to her weathered and wrinkled face. Brown eyes sparked suddenly.

"What are you talking about?" Katara's fingers twitched, feeling for the water in her pouch. A sense of nakedness sunk in as she found her most trusted weapon no longer by her side. The water skin that normally hung on her hip was not present, most likely having washed away in the current of the river.

"The Fire Nation army does not have much use for this village," Naaman spoke up, his deep voice booming through the room from where he stood behind Kiko. "But that doesn't mean that their wanted posters don't make it here as well."

"I don't want to fight you," Katara hissed, searching the area for a water supply. "But I will if I have to."

"Dear child," Kiko chuckled, "we don't wish to fight you either."

"If you're as good as those posters say," Lana spoke, and Katara wasn't surprised she had forgotten the girl was still beside her, "than I don't think we even stand a chance if we wanted to."

"Especially since your friend should wake up in a few hours," Kiko continued.

"I do not want his highness after me," Anon spoke for the first time, his voice containing a hint of sarcasm as he lifted his gaze towards the waterbender. There rested a glint in his gaze that brought his yellow eyes to life in that moment. Katara found the golden orbs to be mesmerizing, and she briefly wondered if Zuko's eyes could contain that same spark that this boy's did.

The Prince's gaze had never been something that Katara put much focus into, but upon thought, she was forced to reimagine the way his gaze had been down in those caves; so broken and confused, hurt glistening behind them. Whenever she had stumbled upon him while trying to rescue Iroh and Lu, there had been the beginnings of something behind his eyes. Something that was far greater than the determination, hate and pain that she had become used to seeing. But with him lying in the bed before her, eyes closed and hair matted around his sleeping head, Katara tried to fight down the thought that maybe she had imagined the change in him. Nevertheless, the fact that he was laying here, injured due to having saved her, the waterbender felt a lump growing in her throat.

A nagging sensation in the back of her mind told her that his current state was her fault. If she had been able to maintain a tighter grip on Appa's fur, if she had not needed the firebender to catch her, than the two of them would not have been dangling dangerously from the flying bison's side, and Zuko would not have been in the direct line of fire for Azula's shot. She tried to play back the event that placed them lost in this small town, but each time she tried to recall the actions, they mumbled together.

The sudden sense of static behind her had forced Katara to turn her gaze back to the city they flew from. She had seen the lightening just before it hit, but not soon enough to warn them. It had been heading straight for where she had been; that much Katara was sure of. Her gaze had leaved with the racing attack. Yet the pieces she could not connect, was why the lightening, which should have struck her in the back, had never made contact, yet had collided with Zuko's extended arm. The same arm that had been holding her from falling to her death that was the one she was positive had been burnt. And he had fallen with her. Instead of letting her drop and moving up onto the bison, he had kept a firm grip on her arm and had not allowed himself to let go.

"Are you alright Miss Katara," Kiko using her name seemed to bring the waterbender from her thoughts. Katara shock her head; realizing that of course the wanted posters had given up her name, and realized that her defensive stance had relaxed through the last moments, but she was unable to pin point the instant when the voice in the back of her mind had ceased to scream of danger.

"I'm fine," Katara lied through clinching teeth. "You said you don't want to fight us."

"That is correct," Naaman nodded, his arms crossed over his chest.

"So it's safe to say you won't kill or turn us into the Fire Nation army if I fell asleep," Katara questioned, raising an eyebrow if she spoke. In the back of her mind, she imagined Sokka scolding her for trusting this assembly so quickly, especially after everything their group had been through. She didn't have Toph's lie detecting powers at the moment, nor her brothers growing intuition. She was trusting. She held faith in mankind. But most of all, she was tired and wished to find a safe place to sleep.

"There isn't much love for the Fire Nation here," Anon stated his voice having dropped the satirical tone it had sported previously, and replacing it with something much more bitter and resentful. The gleam of his eyes intensified as the corners narrowed involuntarily.

"You are safe here child," Kiko smiled at her warmly. Katara was reminded of her grandmother with the way the woman spoke. "And I promise you, no harm will come of you or your friend while you are under our care."

The stirring sound of people moving outside the building drew Katara's gaze from the four as she stared at the window to her left. The shutters were pulled tight, blocking out the rest of the village.

"You are safe young one," Kiko reassured once more.

"Thank you," Katara instantly turned back to the elderly woman, before she dropped into a respectful bow. Upon righting herself, Katara watched Kiko's face light up with a smile. "How long will it be before he wakes up?"

"Give him a couple hours," the elder answered. "Do you know how long you two are planning on staying?"

"No," Katara shock her head. "We can't stay long; my friends are probably looking for us and…" Katara cut herself off midsentence trying to decide how to word the next part. There seemed to be no way of informing this village of the now conjured state of Ba Sing Se without risking a panic and she didn't want to risk the safety they had found this soon. "We'll probably get out of your hair when Zuko wakes up."

"That will give _you_ enough time to at least rest some," Lana laced her arm through Katara's. "You look as if you were raised from the dead this morning and haven't slept since."

"I don't want him to wake up and not be here," Katara wasn't surprised when her gaze found its way back to Zuko's sleeping form. The prince continued breathing easily, showing no signs of waking from his sleep.

"I gave him enough sedative to allow him to rest for a few hours," Kiko motioned towards the bottle behind her. "He will be enjoying the bit of rest; you did well with tending to his injuries, much better than any healer I know could have. Now all he needs is to sleep and let his body heal the remainder of the injury. In the meantime, you tiring yourself out with worry will do nothing to help him, nor will you getting some rest hinder him. Lana will show you to an empty room where you can sleep."

"Thank you," Katara moved to bow again, but Kiko raised a hand to stop her.

"You do not need to bow child," the corners of the older woman's lips were fighting to keep from rising. "If anything, we should be the ones bowing to you."

"I cannot begin to express my gratitude to you," Katara bowed anyway, earning a slight chuckle from one of the boys. She straightened herself and continued. "I don't think I will be able to repay you for your kindness."

"Just keep up the good work," Naaman smirked at her. "News of what you kids are doing is spreading through the nation."

"We have high hopes in you," Anon nodded towards her.

"I will show you where to stay," Lana, who still had her arm around the waterbender's, gave her a sudden tug and spun her towards the door.

Katara halted just before being lead from the room. She turned, her gaze passing from the two males, the elderly healer, and finally falling upon Zuko. She could not bring herself to tell the villagers that the good work she and her friends had been doing had been destroyed only the night before. She couldn't crush their faith in the Avatar.

"Will you wake me up when he wakes up?" Katara couldn't figure where the sudden concern for the firebender came from. He had been nothing more than a thorn in her side for months, and twenty-four hours ago he had single handedly crushed the hope and faith that she had placed in him. There was no reason for her to feel this desire to keep him safe and from harm's way.

"I will stay with him while he rests," Kiko guaranteed.

Katara let a sigh escape her lips, her eyes flickering in exhaustion. She gave one final glance at the sleeping teen, and felt a sense of relief when his chest rose and feel. She knew he was dangerous, and that it was a mistake to trust him again. Zuko had proven that whenever he had sided with his sister under the city. It had been an error to place her trust in him. It had been a simple momentary lapse of reasoning.

A temporary lack of common sense had been what had led her to first trust him, and looking upon the Prince now; his face calm and devoid of the ridged stress lines as he slept, Katara could feel the reality of who he was, sliding into the back of her mind.

-oOo-

"And that is where our stories come together," Lu Ten nodded as he spoke. His steps through the forest were slightly more ridged than the other three were. The prince found humor in his body's determination to slow him. It seemed as if the adrenaline of all that had taken place had been enough for him to push aside the pain in his limbs; mainly his left hand, but now that he found his heart rate leveling back out, he found the pain returning as well.

Sokka whistled ahead of them, as the story met his ears. Jet shot the firebenders behind them a suspicious glare, but kept ahead. Neither boy turned fully around, and kept the ten foot distance between them and the Fire Nation royalty.

"My," Iroh chuckled, "that is… quite a tale. I never thought to pursue the Dai Li upon what we thought was your death. If I had-"

"If you had," Lu Ten injected, "you won't have found anything. They had us pretty well hidden."

"And when exactly was this escape?" Iroh narrowed his eyes, but didn't seem to look in any particular direction.

"A few days ago I guess," Lu Ten shrugged, unsure as to how long he was really out between is liberation and waking in the mist of Team Avatar.

"Been about a week since we ousted Long Feng," Sokka spoke from ahead. "So I'd guess a week ago."

"It's just that," Iroh sighed, "me and Zuko where under that lake such a short time ago."

"What were you two doing there?" Lu Ten looked at his father in confusion. "What were you two doing in Ba Sing Se to begin with?"

"Ba Sing Se was the only safe haven left," Iroh answered, "fugitives could slide into the city without being detected. It was the one place where I was certain both me and Zuko could have slide in without drawing too much attention to ourselves. As for under the lake, Zuko had somehow gotten a lead into the Avatar's missing bison, which led him into the Dai Li's secret headquarters. I have yet to get him to tell me how exactly he not only knew where the Dai Li where, but how he managed to find the creature in the maze down there. It had been difficult for me to find him after I followed him in, how he found the bison is beyond me."

"Zuko found Appa?" Sokka spun on his heels to face the retired general. He had to shift his steps to make up for his backwards march.

"He did," Iroh nodded.

"Then what happened," Sokka raised an eyebrow with his question.

"I managed to convince him to let the bison go," Iroh answered.

"Zuko freed Appa?" Jet shot the general a dirty look.

Iroh took no notice of the intense glare that Jet seemed to have reserved for him. "He did. It took a bit of convincing, but in the end he agreed that keeping the creature was not the right thing to do. The last time we saw him in that lake, Appa had taken off straight through the roof. He nearly flooded the room we had been in. We figured he was tearing a way through the Dai Li's headquarters, because the building began to shack and flood soon after."

"Hu," Sokka looked thoughtful. "What are the chances that we were all under that lake at the same time?"

"That would have been an interesting turn of events," Iroh smiled. "If it were true, it pegs the question of by just how long did me and Zuko miss running into you all."

"I don't know, but it is your turn to fill me in," Lu Ten cast his father a stare. In front of them, Sokka spun back around and appeared to be done listening. "What has been going on all these years? Azula is in Ba Sing Se. You are hiding in Ba Sing Se and being captured for treason. The Avatar is twelve. Zuko…" Lu Ten let a deep sigh escape his lips as he asked the question that had plagued his mind since he first saw the deep red scar that marred his cousin's skin. "Who did that to him?"

"I cannot answer your question as to young Aang's age," the smile formed on Iroh's lips before it dropped quickly away, "but the rest I can answer. I fear it is only matter of time before you learn of what has taken place over the years, so I might as well begin in the beginning. When I returned from the siege, after we could not find your body in the mess and you were presumed dead, I came home to a family in peril. Your Grandfather Fire Lord Azulon, had died just before I returned."

"Then aren't you the Fire Lord?" Lu Ten turned his head fully to his father.

"When I returned," Iroh picked up, "I found your Uncle already on the thrown. There had been this, last minute change in my father's will to place my younger brother in the seat of power."

"What?" Lu Ten asked out of disbelief. "Why would… how… did you fight for it when you got back?"

"I had no desire to rule at those moments," Iroh answered. "I was too broken from losing you; I just did not have the desire or will to do much. Besides, I know my brother, and I was sure that Ozai would not be thrilled upon losing his new found position. Taking it back would have been easy, it would have taken a simple duel and I would have taken it, but there was something else that stopped me."

Iroh paused for a moment, his eyes glistening with memories. "Zuko and Azula were so young, and if I thought I was having a hard time, they were having an even harder. Their mother, princess Ursa, had vanished the night my father died."

"What?" Lu Ten found himself repeating. "What do you mean disappeared? Aunt Ursa would never abandon Zuko and Azula. Those two were her world."

"I do not fully know what happened," Iroh spoke. "All that I know was that she was gone and my father had had a heart attack. With the sudden change of the will, it was easy for me to piece an idea of what had occurred. But that is off topic. It was because she was gone, that I did not challenge Ozai for the thrown. Zuko and Azula, they had just lost not only their only cousin, but their mother as well. I was aware that if I challenged Ozai and won, than he would not rest until he had stolen the thrown back. It would have led to a petty struggle which would have put both of us into the grave. This was not something I wished for the children to see. Zuko was having enough problems as it was with dealing while trying to fill all the expectations his father set, that I did not want him to have to attend yet another funeral.

"I sometimes wonder if I made the right choice in letting Ozai win that battle," Iroh's mussing was more to him than the others. "If I had chosen to fight for the throne, maybe things would not have fallen this way. It was my letting him into that meeting that ended up costing Zuko so much, and it was my shame and regret that kept me from stopping Ozai before he grew too power crazy."

"You lost me." Lu Ten raised an eyebrow lost in his father's words.

"You asked who did that to Zuko. That burn," Iroh turned his head towards his son. From the corner of his eye he caught Sokka and Jet fall back a bit, shorting the distance between them to five feet. "It is not a day that either of us cares to think of, but you should know. He had just turned thirteen a week prior. There hadn't been a party or any form of acknowledgment from his father; Ozai had cancelled it two days before because Zuko had been unable to get control over a new move. Zuko had spent every day practicing that move, every free moment in hopes of Ozai noticing his success. Of course, my brother never did, and when that war meeting came up, Zuko saw a chance to prove to both himself and his father that he was able to do what was expected of him. Zuko had pressed the guards to let him in, but they would not allow it. Ozai would have his son as far away from his as possible. So when I came to the meeting, Zuko instantly came to me and pleaded for me to let him in. You couldn't say no to his face, there has always been that shine in his eyes, that when he truly desires something, it is impossible to decline.

"And then he said something that made me give in," Iroh continued, taking no note of Sokka and Jet practically beside them at this point. "He told me he wanted to go in, so he could start learning how to be a good Fire Lord. That was his focus those days; his drive and motivation. He didn't say it then, but I picked up the underlining reason. He wanted to prove to his father that he was mature enough to behave. Wanted to prove to him that he was more than just what everyone saw him as.

"So I relented. I allowed him to come in with me, but warned him not to speak or draw attention to himself. Ozai saw him the moment we entered, and if my brother was angry he hide it well. The meeting began and Zuko kept his promise to remain silent. He was attentive, following the conversations and taking notes upon every little thing anyone said. During the first break he brought me this pad of questions of things that he didn't understand, names of people and places he did not know. I answered his questions, and he was thrilled. The meeting picked up after the break and things took a sour turn."

Iroh's voice grew heavy as he came to the darker part of the tale. "They began to discuss strategies for dealing with the Earth Kingdom rebels. General Zafeer offered up his most used strategy."

"The duckling and hawk," Lu Ten nodded, knowing the aged General's habit of using that specific tactic in tight battle.

"What's the duckling and hawk?" Sokka asked. Iroh jumped in his step when he found Sokka to the opposite side of him as Lu Ten was. Glancing up, he spotted Jet on the other side of Lu Ten, trying to seem uninterested in the conversation. "Sorry to eavesdrop, it just got hard not to listen."

"I understand." Iroh felt a chuckle forming in his throat. "I am quite surprised you and your friends did not hear of this sooner. Even three years old, this tale is still known through the world. But as for the strategy, it is a simple yet brutal one. The point is to send out a set of new recruits, in this case the fourty first division, into a battle they could not win. They were to be sent up against a group of highly skilled and trained Earth Kingdom army, and as they were slaughtered, the elite Fire Nation army division would be sent in to blockade the Earth Kingdom army and kill them. In the end, the recruits would all be slaughtered and the Earth Kingdom army as well."

"That's horrible," Sokka shock his head.

"Typical Fire Nation," Jet hissed.

"It is a horrid and brutal strategy," Iroh continued. "It is also thankfully one that is not used often, as my father never favored it unless there was no other choice. My brother had a different mindset. He was all in the plan. Zuko was not. He had been quiet the entire time, but the moment his father agreed, Zuko couldn't hold his tongue any longer. I have always believed that the best traits about my nephew were never those that Ozai tried to instill upon him, but the ones that were born into him. Zuko always had this sense of justice and desire to care for everyone; it was what made him many friends as well as many enemies. He was never one to be afraid to stand up for what he believed in. There had been so many times that as a kid, Zuko had had to be picked up from school because he had gotten between some bully and his target, and had ended up with a bloody nose. But he never once backed down and stayed quiet when he saw someone in need. Of course, this trait makes for one Hell of a hero if he chooses to be, but in that moment it nearly cost him his life.

"Ozai was furious with Zuko's outburst against the plan. He was more furious over the fact that Zuko had spoken in general. So he ordered his son to fight an Agni Ki."

"Sorry," Sokka interpreted, "but what's an Agni Ki?"

"It is a duel between two firebenders," Iroh answered. "They are normally ended when one or both of the participants were either badly injured or killed."

"And Ozai made Zuko fight one?" Lu Ten looked at his father in horror. "Against who? Zafeer?"

"Zafeer was the one who was supposed to fight young Zuko," Iroh's voice grew slower. "This would be his first Agni Ki, but I knew Zuko understood what was expected. He accepted the challenge, ready and happy at the chance to finally show what he could do. The fight was set for the next morning. Zuko arrived early, ready for what was to come. I was in the stands, and I could not take my eyes away from him. If I had looked at the other end of that arena, I would have seen who was to face him. But I could not withdraw my gaze from Zuko, who had his back towards his opponent like the rules demand.

"The gong rang, and Zuko stood." Iroh audibly gulped in an attempt to force down the emotions building up. "His eyes widened, and even in the stands I could see the fear spread over his face. That was when I looked at the other end of the arena. My brother stood so tall at the opposite end, and he made Zuko, who at thirteen was just barely five foot five, cringe and seem so small under his glare."

The three listening to the tale felt the lump suddenly fall through their throats. Lu Ten noticed that his hands had formed tight fists, and the heat surging through them threatened to set them ablaze. "What happened in that arena?"

"Zuko would not fight his father," Iroh said, his voice hinging with anger. "You know the boy, even after everything Ozai did to him, even though all the Hell he took him though, Zuko still loved and wanted nothing more than his father's approval and love, two things Ozai would not give him. Zuko dropped down into a bow the moment Ozai took a step towards him. He pleaded with his father to not make him fight him. All he had wanted was to prove to him that he was not useless. He had the Fire Nation's best interests and future at heart. Ozai would have none of it. He told Zuko that if he did not fight than he would regret it. Zuko still refused to fight him.

"Ozai's eyes shifted into the stands and I am sure he was looking right where I was when he grabbed Zuko's shoulder and pulled him to his feet." Iroh's eyes were clinched tight and he had stopped walking. The others stood there waiting for more. "I closed my eyes in hopes of not seeing, but I could not cover my ears hard enough to block out his screams."

Somewhere a bird chirped as Iroh sank into silence. "When I next looked, he was on the ground, curled into a fetal position, and cupping his face. I could already see the burn through his fingers. Thankfully Zuko passed out a few minutes after it happened. Either the event or the pain became too much, but he soon passed out from them. Ozai made a speech there, declaring that all those who oppose his rein will meet a similar fate. It was a half an hour later that he allowed the paramedics to remove his son from the scene and transport him to the hospital. Ozai had left the arena before Zuko was even loaded on, and by six that night, Ozai had already had the banishment papers drawn up, signed, and a boat ready to take Zuko away from the Fire Nation that night. It was all I could do to convince him to allow him to at least awaken before he banished him."

"That…" Lu Ten could find no words to truly express what he was feeling. "How could he do that? All those times when he pushed Zuko around growing up… I never thought he would do something so severe. That takes a monster to do something like that."

"Why didn't you stop it?" Sokka asked the question that Iroh asked himself countless times. "Why didn't you intervene? You said earlier that you could have easily taken him."

"Because I did not realize what was to happen until it was too late," Iroh opened his eyes as he addressed them. "And because once it happened, I knew that that was what my brother was waiting for. His rein had been unstable from the beginning, and this was his show of power. Believe me, I wanted nothing more than to go into that arena and give Ozai the same thing he had given his son, but something told me that fighting with the rage I had in my heart in that moment would not be wise. The only reason Ozai did not kill Zuko there was because he knew that my retaliation would end him, and the only reason I did not strike him down in that moment was because I knew who would kill Zuko before I even had the chance."

"I just can't…" Lu Ten was still fighting to piece it all together and his mind was unwilling to accept the harsh truth. "What happened afterwards?"

"His banishment started," Iroh answered suddenly walking once more. The other three caught up. "I could not let him go by himself. Zuko has always been like my own. He is my nephew, but as far as I was concerned he is my son just as much as you are, Lu Ten. I decided to leave with him, in hopes of keeping him safe and trying to prevent his situation from building up into hatred and bitterness. I would not allow him to become like his father, so I went with him for his banishment. It was the beginning of three years of searching for the Avatar, who was Zuko's only way to return home."

"Katara said he said something about needing Aang to return home and regain his honor," Sokka narrowed his eyes as he spoke, "when she was trapped in Ba Sing Se with him. So this is why he followed us everywhere?"

"Honor was the word Ozai used when he banished him. Zuko called it that as well," Iroh clarified. "He said that capturing the Avatar and bringing him back to his father was the only way to regain his honor. If that was what Zuko had truly been searching for, he would have seen that in doing what he did, he had never lost his honor. He had stood up for soldiers who had no representatives and then refused to fight the very person he had spent his life trying to please. Zuko's principles were in the right, and what he did was far more honorable than anything Ozai has ever done in his life.

"No," Iroh sighed, "what Zuko was searching for wasn't some lost honor or home. It was for his father's love. That was what all of it had been for. I just hope now, Zuko has begun to understand that what he searches for does not exist. Ozai has always seen Zuko as nothing more than an obstacle, and I am afraid that this is all he will ever see him as. My brother will never get to see the respectable and admirable man his son has become."

Silence filled the forest, the muffled steps of the four men the only noise as they continued down the dirt road towards the nearest town. Several minutes passed, where none of them wanted to speech. Iroh was trying to pull himself from his memories, as Lu Ten was attempting to place everything he had learned into his mind. Sokka hugged himself as he walked, and cast occasional glances at the general to make sure he was still alright. Jet was at the far side, and despite his clear face, was biting is tongue with enough force to make it bleed.

"Wasn't the fourty first sent out anyway," Jet spoke, his voice ominously soft.

"Yes," Iroh answered his voice grave. "All but a few survived and the Earth Kingdom division was whipped out. Ozai declared that battle a win in the Fire Nation's favor."

-oOo-

Kiko pushed her white hair out of her eyes as she cut the bandage. With steady hands, she draped the dressing once over Zuko's bare chest. Lana was on the opposite side, ready for the bind, and she slide it under Zuko's back so that Kiko could reach it. The two worked in silence, dressing the prince's torso, which upon removing his shirt they found a collection of forming bruises and deep gashes. None were life threatening, but Kiko did not want to risk it. She had spent the last half an hour checking and rechecking his bones and body for anything broken or internally damaged. She had been relieved to find that only his exterior was injured.

With a sigh, the woman secured the bandage tightly, clipping it where the end was under his arm.

"He should be good now," Kiko raised her tired eyes to look upon her young niece. Lana brushed aside the strands of dark hair that fell between her eyes.

"Is there anything else we need to do?" The girl asked, her eyes locked on the firebenders face.

"There is nothing to do but wait," Kiko responded.

-oOo-

"Let's go Twinkletoes!" Toph called from her place on top of Appa's head. Her arms were wrapped tightly around Longshot's arm in an attempt to hold her down on the beast. She could hear Smellerbee sliding off and the sound of heavy footsteps that she had grown to know as the Earth King and Bosco's.

"Avatar Aang is currently asleep," Kuie's voice came into her ears. "He has been for the last few hours."

Toph let go of Longshot and slide onto the ground as quickly as she could. The moment her feet made contact, she could sense what she could not see. She picked up Aang's heartbeat, which was beating just above Bosco's; she realized quickly that the airbender was lying on the bear. Aang's heart was betting strong, despite the injuries he had sustained, but his body had shut down into a deep sleep.

"Do you think you can make a platform to get him onto Appa," Smellerbee asked her.

"Ya," Toph nodded, and when she felt Smellerbee, as well as their pick-ups beside her, Toph raised the earth at their feet until they were level with Appa's back. She stood there for what felt like forever until they had loaded the sleeping Avatar onto the bison's back and slide him onto Appa's neck in order to provide him with a stable place to rest. The others pilled off and Toph lowered the stone pillar and herself back to the ground.

"Can you find where they are," Smellerbee's voice called from overhead.

Toph merely smirked and didn't offer up an answer. Her left leg rose, until her knees met with her chest. With as much force as the girl could muster, she slammed her foot into the ground, leaving a thin indent where her bare foot struck.

The affect was abrupt, as the ripples of her assault sent thin waves through the ground. She felt everything in the area, from the scrambling animals to the incoming Fire Nation army that was three miles to the West of where they were. She picked up Sokka's footsteps easily, thankfully a clear shot two miles away and empty of opposition.

A thin grin pulled at her lips; Toph crotched. When she rose, the earth beneath her feet formed a tidal wave. Appa took off behind her as the earthbender plowed them in the direction of where the rest of their company where.

-oOo-

Zuko's mind was fighting against him the moment his eyes had closed upon contact. Behind closed eyes, flashes of blue and red sparked at one another. An awareness of static pricked at the back of his neck. The instinct of danger lurked inside of him. The feel of blinding pain had been quickly replaced by the sensation of falling.

A thousand emotions had raced through him, and a thousand emotions remained as the firebender glanced around the snowy terrain. All around him, he could see nothing but what appeared to be white snow, but despite the fact that he stood ankle deep in it, with only the earth kingdom outfit he had been sporting on, he could feel _no_ cold. No heat. He felt nothing. Even the clothes on his body were weightless.

"It is good to see you have awakened child."

Zuko spun towards the deep voice he had heard. Before him stood an elderly man, his white beard and hair startling against his dark red robes. Had Zuko been in a clearer state of mind, he would have recognized the deceased Avatar before him, but as it was, the prince could not match the man's face with that of Avatar Roku's.

"Who are you?" Zuko looked at him skeptically. "What am I doing here? Where am I? What is this place?"

"I am Avatar Roku," the man answered. "As for what you are doing here, I cannot answer just yet."

"Avatar Roku?" Zuko narrowed his eyes, but his remaining eyebrow threatened to crawl higher onto his forehead in confusion.

"The one and only," Roku smiled. "As for where you are, that is for you to decide. Where do you think we are?"

Zuko looked at the man in deep confusion before he allowed his gaze to scan over the barren terrain. "Reminds me of the South Pole."

The South Pole?" Roku looked thoughtful. "I can understand why you're mind chose this place to allow me to contact you in."

"What are you talking about," Zuko growled suddenly. "Am I dead?"

"You have a long time to go before that day," Roku continued to smile. "We are merely in your unconscious mind."

"So none of this is real?" Zuko asked disbelievingly. "Just more of my crazy dreams."

"Just because we are in your mind," Roku spoke, "does not make this any more or less real."

"Why am I here?" Zuko abruptly asked. "Why are you here?"

"I brought you here prince Zuko," Roku answered with a smile. "I have been watching you for some time now."

"Why?" Zuko crossed his arms over his chest, suddenly feeling a chill running down his spine that had nothing to do with the cold he did not feel.

"Because young one," Ruko answered, "you are to do great things for this world and I had the selfish reason for wanting to be able to watch my great grandson achieve the destiny that he was always meant to."

"Your what now?" Zuko's voice lifted the last word into a slightly higher pitch.

"You never did question where you're mother came from did you," Roku sighed, but the welcoming smile remained on his lips.

"Her parents died before I was born," Zuko answered, recalling the excuses he had been given whenever he had wished to see his maternal grandparents as a child.

"I expected your father and them to cover your past with their lies if they were to ever learn of your mother's linage." Ruko heaved a sigh. "But yes Prince Zuko, you are just as much my great grandson as you are Sozin's."

"How do I know this isn't just some crazy shit going on in my head," hugged his arms tighter against his chest. "I've done crazy dreams before, this won't be the first time an Avatar has invaded into my delusions and made them into nightmares."

"Would it really be such a nightmare to share blood," Roku chuckled, but did not wait for the boy to answer. "If I were to tell you something, would you believe that I am not just your mind's hallucinations?"

"Depends," Zuko drew the word out.

"Ask me anything," Ruko pressed. "But I already believe I know what you are planning on asking."

"And that would be?" Zuko leaned forward.

"You wish to know where your mother is," Roku answered. "As well as if she is still alive, and now you are beginning to wonder if you're grandparents are really alive as well."

"That just proves it," Zuko shoved an accusing finger towards the Avatar. "You knew what I wanted to hear! You have to be just my imagination."

Roku did not answer, but simply closed his eyes and raised his hands, palms lowered, until they were straight above him. Zuko opened his mouth, pondering what the man was doing, but found the word dying in his lips as the snow under his feet turned to liquid. He dropped; his head plunged under the water. His terror grew as he _felt_ the water, cold and wet against his skin. The air in his lungs burned as he attempted to swim upwards. The moment his hands touched the film of the water's top, Zuko found himself shooting upwards just as quickly as he had fallen.

The feeling of cold left a swiftly as it had come, and on his hands and knees, Zuko found his breathing leveling. "I felt that. What the Hell was that?"

"If I were simply your imagination," Roku spoke softly, "than you would not have felt what you just had. Now, as for what I was saying-"

"I don't think so!" Zuko scrambled to his feet and glared daggers at the man. He felt his fingers twitch, ready to spring upon the flames that just would not form on his command. "You just tried to drown me!"

"I was not trying to drown you," Roku shock his head. "I was trying to persuade you of the reality of this."

"You could have just thrown a bucket of water at me," Zuko rolled his eyes as sarcasm leaked into his words.

"Zuko," Roku exhaled as he spoke. "I do not have much time and I do not want to spend it agrueing with you over this."

"I'm not listening," Zuko jutted a finger towards him before he spun on his heels.

"Zuko-"

"Shut up!"

"Zuko stop!" Roku's voice boomed , causing Zuko to stop mid step. "What I have told you is true. You not only are the decedent of Fire Lord Sozin, but of mind as well."

"If you're telling me the truth," Zuko looked at the man over his shoulder, but did not turn, "than why did she never tell me. I was told that her family was dead. Why would she lie to me? If you're telling me the truth, I can't accept that she would have hid this from me."

"She did it to protect you," Roku's voice regained the soft quality as he spoke. He closed the distance between him and the prince, and placed a hand on Zuko's shoulder. The prince glanced at the contact, but would not meet Roku's eyes.

"Protect me from what," Zuko's voice was bitter.

"From a truth you were not ready to hear," Ruko responded.

"Can you just give me a straight answer?" Zuko's voice was pleading as he looked into Roku's eyes. Their gaze held the same intense shade of gold.

"You were never meant to return to the Fire Nation, at least not in the way you imagined. Your path has been intertwined with Avatar Aang's from the day you were born," Roku squeezed Zuko's shoulders reassuringly as he spoke. "You, Zuko, are the hero that this war needs in order for it to end. You were always meant to be peace and prosperity to the Fire Nation."

"I am not a hero," Zuko shock his head, doubt setting into his mind.

"Yes you are," Roku responded, his voice full of compassion as he addressed the teen, so broken and dejected, yet so full of life and potential.

"You must have not been paying much attention the last few months," Zuko mumbled.

"I have been paying attention to everything you have done," Roku pressed farther. "And I assure you, that I am proud of where you have come."

Zuko regarded the Avatar was a confused expression.

"Three years ago," Roku smiled with his words, "you showed a compassion that made me believe that you were the one that this world needed. I had begun to think that you had fallen into the trap your sister had, but that day showed me that inside of you was the light the world needed. And from that day that light has only grown more intense. Yes, there are a few blemishes in your actions over the past few months, but despite the wrongs you have done; you have also done great wonders for the world and those around you. You rescued Aang from Admiral Zhao; you have constantly been the saving force in keeping that Uncle of yours out of trouble; you rescued a small boy from certain death despite the dangers you faced; as well as a long list of things that I do not have time to name. You have touched so many people, and you do not realize just how much you matter in this world."

Roku's eyes glistened with pride as he spoke. "The Avatar was meant to save the world, but you Zuko, you were always meant to be the one to bring it into piece. I have faith it that."

"I think you are sadly mistaken," Zuko looked away. "I'm sorry you put so much faith into me, but I'm not the hero you're looking for."

"Just consider what I have told you," Roku exhaled through his nose. "Now, I believe you should be waking soon. Do not be alarmed when you awake, you are in safe hands."

"Can I ask you something?" Zuko watched Roku from the corner of his eye. When he caught the man nod, the prince asked. "Is she alive? Is my mother out there?"

"She is alive and well, Zuko," Roku beamed.

"Where is she?" Zuko suddenly turned upon the Avatar, his voice gaining a confidence that had fallen away previously. "Is she alright? Has she missed me? Where can I find her?"

"It is not time for you to meet with her just yet," Roku smiled at the life that sprang into Zuko's eyes. "I assure you though; you will cross paths with her soon. Now, I believe it is time for you to awaken. And over the next few days, please consider what I have told you. You may find that you are the hero you never thought you would be."

Zuko's eyes fluttered open, the white terrain being replaced by dull green and brown. Before him, stood an elderly woman and man, who seemed not to notice his sudden waking.

-oOo-

Hiruko, the elder and for all purposes leader of the small town of Sanctus, had been surprised when rumors had reached him informing the elderly man of two strange visitors into the village. When those rumors had spoken of the identity of those two, Hiruko found himself at the door of the local hospital in a need to verify these claims. This was the reason behind why he was standing on the side of the bed, where an unconscious male slept.

He allowed himself a moment to examine the child as Kiko moved around on the other side of the bed as she redressed the wound on his arm. The pale skin seemed healed and renewed, but there remained a pinkish tint that laced over his skin, and the healer muttered something about healing lotion and such. But Hiruko paid no mind to her words as he stared at the boy.

His torso was bare, the tattered remains of his shirt hanging on a chair to his right, and the elder could make out the clear indications of the abuse the teen had taken, over how many years he did not know. His frame was covered in white scars, stretching over his body like someone had taken an eraser and whipped off streaks of his color. His shoulders showed signs of being broad and strong; yet despite the signs the he had grown healthier, malnutrition still showed marks of having taken place. The markings, signs that the boy was one used to battle, marred his pale arms, and extended up along his neck in various lengths and thicknesses. His chest rose and fell in staggered breathing. Satisfied that he had seen all he could of the boy's frame, he allowed his gaze to continue to climb over his sleeping form. A sharp chin past before his gaze. Cheekbones, also sunken in from starvation, came next. A mat of hair rested behind his head, the dark black locks containing specks of dirt as well as small leaves that he would have to wash out.

It was when Hiruko's eyes landed on the scar tissue that he froze. He gaped at the way the mark stretched from beside his nose, and extended into the teen's growing hairline. The skin held ridges that could have been similar to mountain peaks and valleys. His face, youthful and handsome, was completely mutilated on one side. The boy's left eye was narrowed just smaller than the other. His ear on the same side as the burn was much smaller, as if that portion of his face had stopped growing the moment the flames had hit.

He had heard rumors of the scar the Prince Zuko now sported, but upon seeing the burn on such a young child, Hiruko had to force down his bodies desire to vomit.

"He isn't as bad as he looks," Kiko's voice came from behind him. Hiruko turned to face her, not having realized that she had moved from her position by the bed, and was now by the cabinet near the door, sorting through the spar clothes to find something that would fit him. "Most of his injuries are old and have healed by now. The few new ones aren't anywhere near life threatening. Other than the burn along his arm, but young Katara did an amazing job in healing it. There will be a scar, one that will probably blend into the countless he already sports, but he will live through this."

"What exactly happened?" Hiruko stepped towards her, glad to place a distance between himself and the bed. "Why is the Fire Lord's son here?"

"He was brought here," Kiko twisted to cast him a smile before she turned back to the cabinet, "by the girl who is said to be the Avatar's waterbending teacher."

"So the news is true," Hiruko shock his head as he cast a glance towards the prince once more.

"We need to keep this news quiet," Kiko pulled out a set of pants and shirt, and after setting them on the table beside her, turned back to face him. "It won't do this village, or those two, any good if the wrong people hear just where they are."

"Do you think they were being pursued?" Hiruko asked.

"I cannot be sure," Kiko replied. "Katara fell asleep almost the moment my niece showed her a bed, and that one," she tilted her head towards Zuko, "has not said a word nor woken since he was brought in here. From the state they are in, I can only guess at what it is they are running from."

"How long will it be before Prince Zuko awakens?"

"Any minute now," Kiko's left shoulder rose in a shrug.

"And the other, where is she" Hiruko requested.

"Lana took her to the spar room round back," Kiko answered. "She left the girl there, and she was still sleeping their when I sent someone to check on her a bit ago."

"And their companions," Hiruko wondered.

"I don't know," Kiko responded. "I just hope that they are not far."

"Ah." The moan, raspy and breathless, came from the direction of the bed. Both eyes, tired from the years they had lived, shot towards the sound with the speed of youth. Neither one seemed to be able to move when they spotted the Fire Nation prince, awake and leaning to the side as he used his elbow to stable himself. He was hunched over so that his back was towards them, and they could just see the tip of his chin through his thick hair.

Kiko was the first to react and was at his side in an instant. She placed a hand on each of his shoulders, as she tried to pull him from his bent position. The boy's shoulders shock slightly under her touch, and Hiruko saw the small withdrawal from the elderly woman's touch. Zuko gave into her though, and moved occurring to how she wanted. Hiruko saw a clear shot of the boy's face, now awake and no longer containing the peaceful expression of sleep.

Zuko's face turned into a grimace as he attempted to keep himself in the seated position. Hiruko narrowed his brown eyes at the Fire Nation child, before realizing that the younger's facial expression was not the glare of hatred that he had first made it out to be, but an attempt to shield the pain his movements were causing. He sighed, as Kiko held the boy's shoulder to keep him from dropping backwards as she placed a pillow between the small of his back and the bed, to prop him up right. The prince, his golden eyes holding a dimming light, let his gaze soften as the pain from his movements dulled. Hiruko let his own stare relax.

Hiruko was startled when Zuko let his gaze land on his for the first time. The Earth Kingdom man felt a sense of respect and admiration sink into him as he looked into the boy's face. With one side of his face beyond repair, his eyes still held something of defiance. His body was scarred, bruised and beaten. His face tarnished by flames. Still his gaze held a burning boldness. Rebelliousness twinkled through his eyes. A desire for disobedience and revolution clung to his gaze. They were the eyes of one who had suddenly realized that the world rested on his shoulders, but he was determined to not let it press him down. There was something almost animalist in his look.

Hiruko could find no words to describe the exiled Fire Nation prince, other than comparing him to a sliver of obsidian; sharp yet brittle and fragile; ready to shatter if too much pressure were placed.

"Ka… Katara?" Zuko's voice was raspy and dry. Kiko turned from him, only to grab at the glass of water that Hiruko had not noticed was on the stand. The prince shot the glass one look, before his white hands took it. He threw his head back, and downed the water.

"Easy there," Kiko patted his back as a heavy cough racked against his chest. Hiruko did not like the way the boy's torso showed his ribs when he inhaled for a deep cough. "Deep breathes. There you go. You have been asleep for a few hours, do not rush yourself. As for your friend, she is alright. I assure you both of you are alright."

"My Uncle?" Zuko looked at her with an almost pleading expression. "Is he here too?"

"I do not know where your Uncle is," Kiko responded slowly. "You and Katara were the only ones here."

Zuko's face fell upon the news. Kiko sensed the boy's disappointment, and smiled as she stood from where she had been sitting on the edge of his bed. "Let me go get Katara for you."

Kiko walked passed Hiruko and muttered, "keep him up and talking," to the man before exiting the room. Hiruko looked at the prince unsure as to what he was meant to do or say with the healer's sudden absents.

"So," the man nodded as he looked at the prince. "Glad to see you returned to the land of the living."

Zuko just stared at him for a minute as if unsure how to respond. Then, from seemingly nowhere, a thin smile pulled at one corner of his lips. "Glad to be back."

-oOo-

"Do you hear that?" Jet suddenly turned, his gaze narrowing in the direction they had been coming from.

"No," Sokka answered, but raised his hand towards the boomerang on his back in case. In the distance, the sound of birds squawking was muffled by the growing sound of stone upon stone. "Now I hear it."

"What do you think it is?" Lu Ten turned in the direction of the sound; Iroh turned as well. The sound was upon them and at that speed, they were aware they would not escape.

"Whatever it is," Sokka bent his knees ready to attack, "it's here."

From between the trees, the four of them could make out the large brown object heading towards them. It skirted between the trees with ease, and for a second Sokka thought it was a tidal wave of stone. Upon seeing the green figure at the top of the wave, Sokka felt his lugs expand as he breathed.

Toph burst through the trees, the stone sinking back into the ground. The earthbender blew the mass of bangs from her face as she regarded them. "I thought you guys would have gotten farther than this."

"We're slow," Sokka smiled as Appa appeared in the sky above them. "Care to give us a lift?"

"I'm not really supposed to talk to strangers," Toph grinned. "But I guess I can feel sorry for you this one time."

-oOo-

Katara found herself rushing to where Zuko was as if she could not get there quick enough. She had raced from the room and down the hall the moment Kiko had awoken her to tell that Zuko had awoken.

She burst into the room, her eyes landing first on the elderly man who she nearly ran into. He turned, and she was greeted with a kind old face. He was just a few inches taller than she was, and his build was thin and lanky. A head of white grey hair was cut close to his scalp, and the tan on his skin seemed to be a reminder of a life spent outside. Katara guessed this was the man Kiko had said was keeping Zuko's company. She couldn't remember if his name was Hiruko or Hikaru, but she did not care. She shoved passed him and found herself beside the bed.

"Are you okay?" Zuko asked, much to Katara's surprise.

"I'm fine," she shook her head. "What about you? Are you okay? You're not going to die on me are you?"

"I'm fine," Zuko shrugged. "There's just-"

His sentence was cut off as Katara's hand slammed against his cheek. Zuko cupped the throbbing cheek and tried to run the pain out of it. His eyes narrowed at Katara, in confusion, anger, and sheer hurt. "What was that for? One minute you ask me if I'm okay and then you hit me. Are you bipolar?"

"That's for Ba Sing Se," Katara growled at him. "I just wanted to make sure you weren't gravely injured before I did that."

"And if I had been?" Zuko dared to ask.

"I won't have hit you so hard," Katara answered with a smug smirk.

"Glad to know you at least cared a little," Zuko rolled his eyes. "Agni my cheek hurts. That was a little rough don't you think."

"I was considering freezing your male parts off," Katara smirked as she crossed her arms over her chest. "You should count yourself lucky you got off with a slap."

"Young love?" They heard Hiruko whisper to Kiko, who only shrugged.

"Far from it," Katara spoke. From outside the sound of a growing crowd muffled out the noise of a familiar beast. Katara's eyes sparked up as her hope of being found grew. Moments later, the door was thrown open to reveal Lana.

"The Avatar just landed a giant flying bison in the middle of the street," she got out between breathes.

"Stay here," Katara directed towards Zuko before she rushed from the room and into the open road. Appa was hard to miss, even in a large crowd the bison was a target for the eyes. Finding her friends in the mess had been more of a challenge and she had been relieved whenever she felt Sokka wrap his arms around her after she had shoved her way up to the bison.

"We were so worried," Sokka said as he squeezed her.

"I'm fine," Katara reassured him.

"I have something for you," Sokka let her go and fished in his pocket. After a moment he withdrew the necklace. Katara's hands went instantly to the base of her neck, bare without the article.

"I didn't even know it came off," Katara grabbed it from her brother and placed it back around her neck. Her fingers rested on the stone, her eyes closed. With a sigh she opened them. She looked around at the group. "Where's Aang."

"He's here," Lu Ten's voice drew Katara's eyes to him, and it took her a moment to realize that he held Aang on his back. "Where's Zuko?"

"He's in the hospital," Katara regretted her words the moment she said them. Lu Ten and Iroh, and surprisingly Toph's, faces were contorted with fear and worry. "He's fine though. Just a little banged up."

"Could you point us in that direction?" Iroh asked.

"We should probably get Aang into a bed too while we're at it," Smellerbee glanced at the still sleeping airbender.

"I'll bring you to the hospital," Katara spoke. "Hopefully Kiko doesn't mind another guest."

Katara was thankful that the crowd parted for them and that the hospital was only two buildings down from where they stood. It took no time for them to get in, and Hiruko held the door, as Kiko motioned them towards the room she had left Zuko in.

The group entered into the room just as Zuko was sliding a green shirt on over his bandaged frame. His vision had been blocked when they entered, but as he shook the thick black bangs from his face, he spotted them.

"Uncle," Zuko rushed forward, enveloping his Uncle, who had been the first person his eyes had spotted, into a bracing hug. The elderly man wrapped his arms around the boy as well, clinging to him as if to reassure him that the young man was safe before him. The two remained that way for a few moments, as they whispered the conversation to one another.

"I am so sorry Uncle" Zuko's voice was low as he shook his head against the man's shoulders.

"You have nothing to apologize for my boy," Iroh responded lacing his callused hand through his nephew's hair in a calming fashion. "I am just glad that you are alright. You need to stop scaring me like that."

"I'll work on that." Zuko chuckled as the hug broke apart. Inches separated them as they stepped back. The young prince's eyes left his Uncle as they traveled over the group in search of the other golden eyed member. He saw him, just as Aang was assisting Sokka in sliding Aang off of his shoulders and into one of the open beds.

"Is he?" Zuko cast his Uncle a disbelieving glance, and when then the general nodded, Zuko had to catch his breath. He turned to face Lu Ten, the soldier having come towards him until they were mere arms lengths away. "Lu Ten?"

"It's me," Lu Ten smiled, his relief sinking into his words as he stepped forward, ready to embrace his cousin in the hug he had been yearning to give.

"Don't," snapped Zuko, who stepped back with his eyes trained on Lu Ten' face was a suspicious and mistrusting glare.

"Zuko," Lu Ten tried again, "please."

"I don't…" Zuko's face was broken into different emotions. The tight set of his lips spoke of the anger he felt, but the pleading glaze in his eyes gaze Lu Ten the hope that he would not shove him away so quickly. "Please just… Lu Ten's dead."

"I'm not," Lu Ten sighed.

"You are not my cousin," Zuko barked, his hand gripped the bed frame behind him for support. "Lu Ten wouldn't have just left us if he were still alive."

"I didn't leave you willingly," Lu Ten pleaded.

"Than what the Hell did you do?" Zuko's words startled all of them. His fingers twitched as he spoke. Lu Ten could pick up the edge to the teen's voice that threatened to leak out with the tears that were beginning to form on the corners of his eyes. "Where have you been? You leave like that, and then we thought you had died! I thought you were dead! You just left like… and here you are now? Alive and well? Well, where the Hell have you been? Have you just been running around these last few years, forgetting that you had a family that cared about you?"

"Zuko," Lu Ten sighed, "try to listen."

"I don't want to listen!" Zuko interrupted, his voice hinging on breaking. "Do you know what we went through when we thought you were dead? Do you know that everything felt apart because you were gone! Or did you not even consider everyone you were leaving behind when you up and 'died' on us."

"Calm down Zuko," Iroh's and rested on his nephew's shoulders as he tried to calm him. Zuko's torso shock under the touch.

"I did not abandon you willingly Zu," Lu Ten closed his eyes as his cousin showed no signs of calming.

"Then where the Hell have you been!" Zuko's voice broke, and in mid scream the silent tear tracked down his face. "Why didn't you come back? Did you just forget about us? You promised you would return, and when you didn't I knew you were dead. But you're not? How could you just leave me like that?"

Lu Ten didn't have a response, and he didn't wait for Zuko to continue. In one fluid motion he shot his arm out, gripping the cloth over Zuko's shoulder; the boy lifting his simmering eyes at the contact. Lu Ten pulled him forward, crashing his cousin into his chest. He wrapped his arms around his shoulders, holding him close as tears fell from his own face. Zuko made no move to pry out of the embrace, nor did he return it.

"I am so sorry Zu," Lu Ten whispered into his cousin's ear. "I never would have left you like that if I had had a choice. Please understand that." After a breath he continued. "I am so sorry."

"I'm sorry," Zuko muttered. Lu Ten could feel the wetness on his shoulder from where Zuko's tears fell.

"You need to stop apologize for things," Lu Ten withdrew one arm from the embrace, and placed it on top of Zuko's head as Iroh had done to the teen moments previous. He buried his hand into the teen's rugged black hair, holding him in a comforting embrace. "I never wanted you to be hurt, and I would have come back if I could have."

Lu Ten didn't elaborate any more, but simply held the boy as his tears racked his body. The older male let his tears fall, but kept a control over them, unlike his cousin who neither was able nor cared to control the tears that were soaking through the fabric. Slowly, Zuko's arms lifted from his sides, and Lu Ten felt them return the embrace; his fingers gripping Lu Ten's shirt as if the fabric were the only thing keeping him on the ground.

-oOo-

"Soldiers will be arriving in the morning princess," the Dai Li agent managed to speak, despite the fear sinking into him. Before him stood the Fire Nation princess, her weight shifted unevenly onto one side. Flanking her, where her two companions. The black haired girl cast him a bored expression before drawing her eyes away and moving the thin knife between her fingers once more. The acrobat looked a bit longer, and the innocent smile she gave him scared him even more than the knife thrower did.

"Good," the princess's back was too him, but the agent could still hear the smirk in her voice. The casted a glare over her shoulders, her lips turned up in a wicked smirk. "What are you still doing here?"

The agent practically scrambled away, nearly falling onto his face several times as he moved towards the door. He threw it open without hesitation, but before he closed it behind him, the agent heard the princess give her companions the orders to kill on sight.

**-oOo-**

**Actual Chapter: 14,300 words. Wow, now I see why this story already has over 44,000 words in the first eight chapters. The lengths have grown, as has the time spent on them and the thought put into them. I've been working on this chapter for like a week now, practically starting at four thirty when I get home from school and going until I drop about one-three the next morning. This chapter has left me sleep and food deprived, but it was well worth it.**

**Now for some points I want to discuss.**

**This story does center in a world where Lu Ten is alive and well, but a heads up should be given that the tale wont focus on just the prince. With his life, and the way the new team has formed, there is a lot I can work with other than just Lu Ten. He will still be the main guy in this, but expect an equal bit of Zuko, Sokka, Katara and Jet. Those four alone make a seriously tense group dynamic and the next couple of chapters will play off of that tension. Zuko is in the middle of what he wants to do, and even though he seems to be leaning towards the right way to go, this doesn't mean the past relationship with Team Avatar just goes away. Katara is a good sign of that, as she will remember all the wrongs he has done and try really hard to keep remembering them. Jet of course will be a driving force in that, because he's Jet and it's what he does. Smellerbee and Longshot have some tension with the firebenders, but they're not as set on hating their new members as much as Jet is. Yet as Katara and Jet are trying to keep this image of Zuko as the bad guy, you can expect Sokka to be a little more open. It's not really brought up in this chapter, but the relationship between Sokka and Zuko is going to be a good one. Because that is the ultimate Broship. They're Bro's for life.**

**Azula took the place as the intro to this. Remember last chapter when I burnt her, she's not too happy about the slight scar. Her unblemished skin has been marked from the rebound of her own attack. I don't picture the princess as being one to run to the nearest healer and admit she needs medical attention. So at this moment, since the burn only grazed her and doesn't bother much, she's going to ignore it. That doesn't mean she'll forget it.**

**I like writing in Azula's mind. There's just something about it that's so interesting. Azula's commentary on Lu Ten's return, with him being a ghost and putting him back into the grave, was a bit of a challenge. I knew how I wanted the others to react, but Azula was a bit of a challenge. Of course, resigning to simply add him to the kill sheet just seemed like the Azula answer.**

**When the team split up to search for Katara and Zuko, as well as get Aang and Kuei, it was a tossup on how I wanted them split. It was a matter of where I wanted to send Toph to that took a bit of thinking. In the end she went with Longshot and Smellerbee; mainly because they needed a way to find the others afterwards. Toph's awesome sonar is a wonderful GPS. The only other thing I could come up with for finding them involved a bison whistle. This plan would mean a very tired whistle blower and an irritated Appa, because someone would have to blow that whistle until they find them, and there was no saying how long it would be. So Toph went with them.**

**The villagers are nice. Lana, Anon and Naaman are my creations. As is Kiko and Hiruko. We'll see a bit of them in the next chapter. If you didn't realize, Anon is slightly Fire Nation. At least, Fire Nation blood. He's total Earth Kingdom at heart. He's story isn't in here, but I just wanted to point out that little thing about him.**

**So the town knows who they are. I can't imagine that wanted posters for All of Team Avatar weren't made. Azula is thorough, she would have made sure that the little waterbending girl would have a bounty on her head as well. It might not be perfectly accurate, but how many girls that look like Katara are running around the Earth Kingdom with a scared teenage boy? Zuko has a noticeable face. I mean, he's hot for a cartoon character. You wouldn't forget a face that handsome so easily. Plus the burn thing that I sometimes forget he has. But either way, you would recognize them. Thankfully, this village is nice and isn't going to run them out.**

**Katara is starting to pick back up those caring feelings for Zuko. This doesn't mean she's going to throw herself onto him like a floozy. She's still a bit angry about Ba Sing Se, hence the nice slap when he wakes up. But Katara does care about him. She got to see the human side of him in Ba Sing Se, and she'll have a hard time forgetting that conversation. Of course, she still is hurt and angry and isn't ready to forgive him. All of these mixed feels will lead to conflicting feelings for her. Once the ships begin to itch in the background, these feels will come about.***

***One of the request for when I did this was that I made it Zutara. And seeing as how I ship it like the **_**Carpathian**_**, it can be a good guess as to where that ship is sailing. It's not going to be throw themselves at each other out of nowhere and make out kind of Zutara. Nah, we're going to suddenly grow that crap, while Aang fights with his own romantic desires. I'm sorry to any Kataang shippers who hate me now, or anyone who just doesn't ship it. I hope this doesn't make you not want to read. The ships are more for teenage drama in this, and other than sexual tension between a few people, the actual pairings are more of a background thing. Now that we have settled that.**

**So Lu Ten's body is catching up with him. He has been sitting down with little sun for a few years. He maybe regaining his strength, but once the adrenaline runs out that pain is going to come back. His hands will play future problems.**

**The story of Zuko's scar was not originally planned, but Lu Ten saw it while running through Ba Sing Se, even though he never made a note of it. So he's a little curious as to what happened. Once I got on the scar topic, I didn't want to stop with a simple 'Ozai burnt him,' version. Iroh would have told Lu Ten everything that happened leading up to it, so that way he could understand just how bad Ozai has becomes, before he answers hi question. Than whenever Iroh starts talking about younger Zuko, Uncle mood comes on and the story get fun. In all honesty, I have been wanting to do something where I got to tell the scar story through Iroh, and this chapter ended up being the means to do it.**

**Sokka and Jet know the story about Zuko's burn, his drive for the past few years and his messed up family. We will see how they react later with the news.**

**Aang is currently asleep. He was up for a bit last chapter, but he just got struck with lightening not twenty four hours ago, he's going to be in and out for a bit. Give him a chapter or two, and he'll be up and going again. But for now, its sleep for him.**

**Ruko is playing the part in a conscious for Zuko. He needs something to give him that extra push into going to the good side, and this is where the deceased Avatar comes in. Also, because he's Ruko and Ruko does whatever the flip Ruko wants to do. But one of the coolest things in Avatar was the linage of Zuko and Azula. Good and evil pretty much is fighting inside both of them. As we know, Zuko wins that inner battle where Azula does not. But I couldn't let Zuko go through this without knowing how he is related to Ruko. The Avatar does leave him with a few things to think upon. One of them is Zuko's mother. Possible foreshadowing; possible not foreshadowing.**

**Lu Ten and Zuko met up. I hope that I provided the drama everyone was looking for with that scene. I couldn't quite decide how Zuko would react. There was a mix of how he apologizes to Iroh at the White Lotus camp, as well as the usual dramatic moves of Zuko through the series running through my head when I wrote this. Zuko is a very dramatic character, and in the end I figured that the most accurate partial for him in this part would be a major blow up on the verge of tears. Because that is our Zuko; over dramatic, emotional, forgiving and loving. **

**Azula is out for blood. With those Fire Nation soldiers Toph sensed previously, it will be a short time before she is back in the world and causing trouble. The question lies, where will Mai and Ty Lee fall in all of this?**

**Next Chapter:  
News of Ba Sing Se's fall reaches the ears of the village. Lu Ten and Zuko have a heart to heart concerning the past, the present and where they are to go from there. Plans will be made, Avatar's will wake up, tension will run high between old enemies, blood will be shed, and Azula will be faced with the decision to follow her prey, or return home.**

**Pages: 32  
Words: 16, 192 **


	10. Song of the Caged Bird- Lindsey Stirling

**First off, I want to thank everyone who has followed me from chapter one and has come back for more. You guys are amazing and with your help these first nine chapters have racked up 37 reviews, 21 favs and 42 followers, as well as over 700 views. You guys are truly amazing and knowing that there are people out there reading means so much and is such good motivation.  
Disclaimer: I don't own anybody. Well that's not true. I own a few people. What I don't own, is Avatar the Last Airbender or any characters from it.  
Lu Ten: You're late.  
Me: I know. Between getting ready for college, having my sisters down and trying to work on Zutara Week stuff, I haven't had much time to work. A large part of the wait is because I had to do some major edits and rewriting for later chapters. There was a part that was going to be in this chapter, but while writing it I could not get it to fit logically and keep everyone in character. So I ended up scrapping that part, without realizing how bit of an affect it had on something in the later chapters. So I had to do a bit of tweaking in order to move things about, and I didn't want to upload this without being set with the rest of the plot line. But edits to storyline are done, and I am back on track.  
Now onto the reason everyone is here. The long overdue chapter ten. **  
-oOo-

Noon had peaked and passed, the sun now working its way into the evening. Sokka looked down at the map on the table before him. He cupped his chin as his eyes followed over the roads painted into the chart . "Without Ba Sing Se, it will be kind of hard to have the full Earth Kingdom support. We just lost a great deal of our troops. I'm not sure how to bounce back from that."

"Who all do you have left?" Jet glanced down at the map, not fully understanding the markings that the Water Tribe boy was making on it. He placed markers; consisting of scraps of paper and rocks, over different sections of Ba Sing Se; ranging from the swamp regions and into the Northern Air Temple. Each marker had a string attached, the other end leading to a few different ports; all meeting at a single island just on the outskirts of Earth Kingdom waters.

The Freedom Fighter raised his eyes, taking note of the way Iroh, sitting beside Sokka, was looking at the map; engrossed in watching as the pieces were moved and replaced. Beside the general, Lu Ten sat watching at well. To Jet's right, was the Earth King, looking a bit dishearten, and Hiruko; the village elder.

Jet was having a hard time dealing with the presents of the famous Dragon of the West. His mind was still caught up in the old man being Mushi; the firebending tea maker. The fact that he had been right about the man's secret had filled Jet with much joy. It proved that he wasn't actually crazy. Yet, Mushi and Lee's true identity was not something that Jet expected to play out the way it had. Discovering them to be the banished prince Zuko and retired General Iroh, had nearly been a breaking point for shoving Jet over the edge. Added to the fact that Lu Ten was also a royal fire breather, just made him all the more unsettled about the trio. He did not like firebenders, and he especially did not like the royal ones which seemed to desire bothering and confusing him.

"We still have the Southern Fleet; which we need to get in contact with soon." Sokka's voice broke through Jet's fantasizing. Shacking himself, he refocused on what the teen was discussing. The Water Tribe boy's finger was planted firmly on the island on the map that Jet could not name. "Plus while in Ba Sing Se I started to send out letters to some of the people we've met along the way, informing them of the invasion."

"And how many people replied back?" Lu Ten questioned.

Jet wasn't sure how exactly he felt on Lu Ten and Iroh being included in on this discussion. Sokka had deemed it necessary to inform both firebenders about the upcoming invasion while the four of them had been searching for Zuko and Katara. The Water Tribe warrior; much to the dismay of the Freedom Fighter, had filled them in on what was to take place, expressing great trust in them whenever Jet had questioned the safety of them knowing. After having taken the older boy to the side, Sokka had explained his reasoning behind trusting them. The North Pole and something about being shot by a princess came up several times, and by the end of it Sokka had been even firmer in his beliefs of trust.

"I only got to send out two before we had to leave. The mechanist was the first and most important." Sokka's finger landed on the Northern Air Temple. "He sent back a letter saying he'll gather as many people as he can and help. They're not much of actual fighters, but they're a pretty scrappy group. I also sent down some plans for a few things that might help us in the invasion. So we've got that on our side."

After a moment, Sokka moved his finger down into the swamps. "This was my second message. I got a reply back from the swamp benders saying that they're all in. That should give us a large number of waterbenders."

"And the rest of these markers," Iroh motioned towards the mess of points on the map.

"Still trying to get in contact with them," Sokka answered.

"And the Southern Fleet is where?" Iroh looked deep in thought.

"Chameleon Bay." Sokka stated simply.

A silence sank over the group as they looked at the large number of possible help that were still uninformed. The question of getting in contact with all of them was a simple one. It was just the time constraints that were placing pressure on getting the news out to them. Both Iroh and Jet opened their mouth to speak. The two noticed and stopped to allow the other. After an encouraging nod from Iroh, and a deep frown in response by Jet, the Freedom Fighter spoke. "How long until the invasion?"

"Five months from next Tuesday," Sokka answered, having the date set in his mind.

"If the Freedom Fighters ran messengers and got the word out about the invasion," Jet locked his eyes on Sokka, the other boy picking up the meaning easily, "would the Southern Fleet pick us up on their way to wherever we're supposed to meet?"

"Ya," Sokka answered eagerly. "Would you guys really be willing to do it?"

"Sure." Jet shrugged. "Shots, Bee and I should have no problem rounding up some Freedom Fighters and sending out news. Just need to know where we're going and who we're looking for."

"That's easy," Sokka gestured towards the map before him. "Do you have a spar map they can borrow?" The Water Tribe boy turned his gaze towards the elder, who nodded back in confirmation. "Good, I can map out where we need the news delivered for you guys to follow."

"If you are going on message runs," Iroh looked at them with a smile. "I believe I have some friends who could help you during travels."

"Friends?" Jet raised an eyebrow. "No offense old man, but what friends do you have to help."

"Are you aware of a society called the White Lotus?" The general smiled.

-oOo-

Zuko didn't know what to think of the blind earthbender sitting on the steps before him. The girl downed her drink, set the empty glass down beside her, and turned her gaze onto the prince. He tried to keep his heart rate calm, as she narrowed her eyes onto him. Her head lowered and lifted, as her eyes followed a similar path as if she were inspecting him. Despite the fact that he knew he could not see him, Zuko still felt as if the child was looking straight into him. It was a crazy feeling, but after three years of being out in the war torn world, he had learned to trust his instincts. Instincts that were screaming for him to watch his back around the young child.

"You must be the infamous Zuko." She smirked. "I've heard a lot of bad things about you from Katara."

Zuko wasn't even sure why he was sitting here with the demon child. He had been on his way to following Lu Ten and Iroh to wherever they had been going, whenever she had grabbed hold of his sleeve and pulled him away with her. He had been unable to break free of her grip than, and he was sure he was unable to break free from her now. Instead, he just sighed and tried to not let her gaze unnerve him. "And you are."

"Toph BeFong." The girl smirked. "I'm sure you've heard of me. After all I am the greatest earthbender in the world, teacher of the Avatar, winner of Earth Rumbles and still the spoiled brat I always was. You can bask in my awesomeness. If you're lucky I might brush some of my awesome onto you."

"Thanks." Zuko replied, filling the word with sarcasm. "So you're the Avatar's earthbender teacher than?"

"Ya," Toph looked at him in a challenging fashion.

"And how old are you?"

"I'll be thirteen soon." Toph puffed out her chest, and Zuko couldn't help but stifle a chuckle behind the back of his hand at the action. She narrowed her eyes back in return. "Don't laugh at me. I will kick your ass."

"Oh really?" Zuko couldn't help but to push farther in the banter. By the grin taking over the corner of both of their faces, it was obvious that the mockery was indeed friendly. The playful teasing they were doing startled the prince. He had only met the girl a few hours ago, and sitting on the porch was the first time he had actually met and learned her name. But the blind twelve old had gone from intimidating him, into smiling and joking as if it were the easiest thing in the world. It confused Zuko, but he wasn't one to question things. "And how would you do that."

"I am the greatest earthbender in the world." Toph rolled her eyes.

"Can I ask about that?" Zuko bit his lip, looking once more at the sightless eyes. "It's just… you're blind."

"Really." Toph rolled her eyes; Zuko was beginning to wonder if sightless eye rolls where common with her. "Here I just thought the world was black. Thank you for clarifying that fact. But seriously, I see with my feet."

"You're feet?"

"Yep. I feel the vibrations in the earth. Whenever something moves, or there's something on the ground, I can just feel it, and it lets me see the world around me."

"Like sonar?"

"What's sonar?"

"It's something animals like wolfbats can do. Since they have little sight ability, they send out this sound wave and judging by how long it takes to come back, they can picture what's ahead of them."

Toph's face lit up. "Cool. My feet have sonar."

"So what's it like?" Zuko felt comfortable talking with the child. He'd never seen anything like the blind earthbender, and he was truly curious about what she could do. "Can you picture the world, or is it just shapes."

"Just kind of shapes," Toph shrugged her shoulder. "Like I can feel you next to me, the people in the building behind us, Aang asleep in the hospital, and even the little kids on the outskirts of the town who are jumping into some lake. I can feel where everything is."

"Doesn't that get to be annoying?" Zuko asked. "Feeling everything."

"At first I was kind of hard. But it's just something I've learned to do, and it's just natural now. Do you ever get tired of seeing everything around you?"

"Good point."

"It pays off too. Being able to tell what's coming towards us saved our butts a few times. And I never would have been able to metalbend if I couldn't feel the earth like I do. So I'm perfectly fine with seeing like this."

"Metalbend?"

"Yep." Toph's smile grew. "You are looking at the world's first and only metalbender."

"How is that even possible?" Zuko forgot where he was. He forgot that he was talking to a little earthbender, who months prior he would have seen as the enemy. He was wrapped in the conversation he was having with the girl.

"That's classified info. All you need to know is that I just keep getting more awesome as the days go." Toph smirked. Silence sank over them, as they watched the town move about them.

"So can you see faces?" Zuko broke the quiet. "I don't mean to be asking all these questions it's just…"

"I get it." Toph responded. "And no. I have no idea who anybody look like."

"Then how can you tell the difference between everyone."

"A lot of things. Heartbeat is the main one. Everyone's heartbeat is slightly different. I use them to tell the difference between people, and stuff like that. Voices are another one. That's where I picture what people look like. That's not two voices that are alike. And last, the vibration people give off."

"The vibration?"

"Ya. That's how I figure out who a person really is. It doesn't matter how good of a liar or actor someone is, you can't fake your vibrations. I kind of feel the vibes that they give off."

"And what's the vibe you get from me?" Zuko looked a bit hopeful as he asked.

"You have the weirdest vibration I have ever felt." Toph answered shortly, getting a frown from Zuko. After a moment's hesitation, she continued. "That's not a bad thing. I can tell you're trying and you do want to help. You're not a bad person. Trust me, I have a talent for knowing people."

"Thanks," Zuko smiled sadly, "Toph."

"No problem." Toph punched him in the shoulder. The muffled 'Ow' she heard in response brought a smile to her face. "That's how I show affection."

"That was a lot of affection." He muttered as he rubbed the forming bruise.

Toph grinned. "You're alright with me Princess."

-oOo-

"So now that that is settled we need to start working on leaving." Sokka rolled up the map in his hand. He cast a glance around the room at the other's in it, before his eyes landed on King Kuei. "Are sure that is what you want to do your Highness."

Kuei nodded. "Yes. I am afraid I don't have much experience in this field, and I'm ashamed to admit that I'm terrified at the thought of even getting into a fight. Besides, I do not wish to be a burden and a problem."

"That is alright." Iroh laid a hand on the king's shoulder, startling the young man. "Not all of us are made to be fighters, and that is a good thing. Without the level headed, the rash would bring about their own demise."

"Besides," Lu Ten added, "they're gunna need ya on that thorn when this is ever. Getting you killed in combat would not do us any good."

"Lu's got a point." Sokka included. "We're going to need you to help bring about peace after the fighting is done."

"Thank you." Kuei bowed his head in thanks. "And I wish you the greatest luck in your mission." With that, Kuei exited the room, followed by Hiruko.

The four remaining men stood in the room. After a moment, Jet dismissed himself to search for his comrades and fill them in on their part. After Jet stepped out, Lu Ten patted them on the back and left to make sure that Zuko had not gotten in trouble while they were working. Only Iroh and Sokka remained. The Water Tribe warrior took the chance to ask the general the question that had plagued him for a while now. "So this means you are fully on our side?"

"It does." Iroh answered with a slight nod.

"Then can I ask you a question?"

"I believe you just did." Iroh chuckled. The annoyed frown that sat on Sokka's lips silence the older man's chuckled. "Sorry, it's a force of habit. What is your question?"

"Would you be willing to teach Aang firebending?"

"Can I ask why you are asking me?"

"Why?" Sokka was a bit startled with the need for explanation. "You're the best firebender that we know. Plus you don't want to kill us. That makes you more than qualified for the job."

Iroh smiled. "I will have to think upon it."

"Is that a no?"

Iroh smiled, the action not extending fully to his eyes. "There are just a few things I need to get in order and one condition that I ask concerning my sons."

"Lu is more than welcomed to join us." Sokka answered instantly. "Wait. Did you say _sons_? Is there another one running around?"

Iroh's smile grew. "Zuko may not be my son by blood, but by all other means he is my own. Just as Lu Ten is. I will not abandon either of my children. I will teach the Avatar everything I know, but not without both of them with me."

Sokka looked unsure how to respond. After a hesitation that seemed to stretch on for minutes, he sighed and looked at the general. "Fine. Zuko can come to if he wants. But if he gives me a reason to think he's a threat, I will hurt him."

"I assure you, he will behave."

-oOo-

Katara tightened her grip on Aang's hand, the young child sleeping soundly on the bed. His chest rose and fell, but other than that, the twelve year old did not stir. Katara had made up her station beside his bed the moment they had laid him in it, and had not left since. The other's had left the room, to destinations in the town she did not know.

A sense of precaution sank into her, as at the moment she realized she had no clue as to where the members of their tightly knit team where. Katara liked to keep a watch on them, it was a habit she had picked up whenever it had been just her, Sokka and Aang. After including Toph into their group, Katara had found her protective habits growing. Despite Toph's independent and stubborn nature, she was still a twelve year old girl, something they all tended to forget from time to time. With the new size of the group; grown to include not only the three Freedom Fighters, but also the royal trio, Katara was finding herself having a hard time keeping eyes on everything.

What unsettled her more than not know where everyone was, and if they were safe, was the presence of Prince Zuko. The firebender had disappeared with Iroh and Lu Ten shortly after they had arrived, and she had not seen any of them since. Katara tightened her grip on Aang's hand as the event of Ba Sing Se flashed one more in front of her eyes. It was the prince's fault that they were in the situation they were in. If he hadn't chosen that moment to side with his sister. If she had only seen through his lies. The ifs of the situation continued to play; despite the fact that Katara knew thinking on them would change nothing.

The sound of an opening door behind her drew Katara's head up ever so little. Her eyes caught the movement of Momo; the lemur cleaning himself beside Aang's pillow, as she shifted to look at who had entered. Spotting a familiar shade of blue, Katara turned back to look at Aang as her brother's voice came into her ears. "Aang will be fine. You stressing like this can't be good. You need to eat something. Your friend, Lana, made us some late lunch, early dinner. I brought you a bowl.

Katara took the bowl of soup her brother offered. Katara asked as she took a bite. The broth was thick and felt so good going into her empty stomach. "Where is Zuko?"

Sokka pulled up a chair on the opposite side of the bed. "Zuko was with Toph last time I checked. Lu left to look for him earlier though, so there's a good chance he's with him. Why?"

Katara glared back at him. "I don't think it's smart to let him run around unwatched. What are we going to do with him? I don't want him anywhere near Aang."

"I don't think we really have to worry about Zuko," Sokka chuckled.

"You don't trust him, do you?" Katara looked at her brother in concern.

"I don't trust him," Sokka answered. "But Toph does, and I trust Toph. Plus, Iroh and Lu seem to be on our side, and from what I've seen, Zuko follows the two of them like a lost polar bear-dog. As long as they're with us, I can't see Zuko running off and doing something stupid that could get us killed. So I'm giving him a chance. Despite my instincts telling me not to, I'm giving him one chance. You've got to give him that chance too Katara."

Katara looked at her brother in frustration as she set the half eaten soup on the nightstand. When she spoke, it was with a scathing tone; an angry and fiery one. "A chance? He had a chance. Under Ba Sing Se and he blew it then. I just… I just don't think I can do it again. He broke my trust, I just can't forget that."

"Look Katara," Sokka ran a hand through his hair as he spoke. "I don't like seeing you like this. It both kills and scares me. Something went down between the two of you in that cave that really stirred you up. I think the two of you need to talk about it."

"Talk?" Katara frowned. "Can't I just kill him and hide the body?"

"No." Sokka answered quickly. "Aang needs a firebending teacher."

"And you want to ask Zuko?" Katara's frown turned into a smirk of amusement.

Sokka chuckled. "No, I asked Iroh. But if you go off and kill Zuko, I don't think they will be too willing to stick around afterwards."

"Will he do it?" Katara asked in all seriousness. "Teach Aang?"

"Ya," Sokka shrugged, deciding that now was not the time to worry his sister about the little details. "But if he does, than Zuko is part of the deal."

"I don't like it," Katara grimaced. "I'm fine with Iroh and Lu, but I don't like Zuko."

Sokka nodded in response. "I know. But if he really is on the rebel bandwagon, having his fire power would be nice. Besides, it can't be a disadvantage to have the Crown Prince of the Fire Nation on our side."

"But how certain are you that he is on our side?" Katara absentmindedly spooned herself a bit of soup.

Sokka offered a smile; pinched at the corners and didn't quite reach his eyes. "Not as certain as I would like to be, but sure enough that he won't kill us in our sleep."

"I just don't want to put Aang in danger." Katara lowered her eyes down to the sleeping child. "I didn't protect him as well as I should have in Ba Sing Se. I let my guard down. I wanted to believe that there was good in Zuko. That he wouldn't turn on us, and that trust nearly got us killed. If you want to give him the chance, then I'll be behind you. But I don't care if Aang needs a firebending teacher or not, if he makes one wrong move, gives me any reason to think he's a threat, I will kill him."

-oOo-

Lu Ten had found his cousin sitting with Toph outside what seemed to be the village's tavern. Upon Lu Ten's request for him, Zuko had all but fled from the presents of the blind earthbender, while rubbing his shoulder. Zuko had followed behind him without question was to where they were going. The two were silent for the first few moments.

Zuko kept his eyes ahead as he spoke. "Do you think the Avatar will be okay?"

Lu Ten narrowed his eyes at his cousin, curious as to how he started the conversation. He was still trying to piece together the full events as to what happened in that city, but the pure regret and concern in Zuko's voice told Lu Ten that simple events wouldn't tell the tale. "Aang should be fine. A little rest and some burn aloe should do wonders for him."

The young prince didn't seem to know how to answer. He lowered his eyes. "That's good." His words were low and soft.

"So what happened under that city?" Lu Ten questioned, looking sidelong at his as they walked.

The expression on Zuko's face was one of quilt and dread. He lifted his eyes, and they seemed to shimmer with a memory he wished better forgotten. "I made the wrong choice. I fell for Azula's lies and false promises. I helped her take over Ba Sing Se, the only place in three years where I have actually felt like I didn't have twenty people pulling me in every direction. But I gave it all up and handed it all to Azula."

Zuko's voice grew grim, and he once more lowered his gaze. "I almost got Uncle killed because of my selfishness. I chose her and going home over him. I can't believe I fell for her fake promises again."

"What exactly did she promise you?" Lu Ten asked. He motioned Zuko towards the set of benches to their right.

"A chance to go home," Zuko shrugged. "She said if I helped her, that I could forget all of this and return home. I haven't been home in three years. Not since…"

A silence sank between them once more. Zuko groan, not sure how to continue, sat down beside Lu Ten and turned his head away. Lu Ten used the silence to take in his cousin's appearance.

He did not like the way he continued to spot scars over his cousin's face and bear arms. The teen was covered in little white scars, and light pink remnants of burns. It appeared to his eyes as if someone had attempted to play connect the dots using the burns as points. What else he did not like seeing, was how small he appeared to be. Lu Ten prayed that it was merely an effect of the baggy shirt he had borrowed due to his own being charred that made Zuko's frame look so thin.

Along with the white scars that lined across his body, Lu Ten's eyes drifted to the scar on Zuko's face. He tried to keep himself from looking directly at it, but with the story his father had told him, the prince couldn't help but stare. Zuko didn't seem to react to his cousin's gawking, and Lu Ten wondered if the teen didn't notice as he continued to speak, or if he had just become used to stares.

A sigh escaped Lu Ten's lips as he pondered the question. The noise seemed to have gotten the attention of Zuko, who looked up from his place leaning against a fence behind him. Lu Ten took this moment to break the silence. "You should never have been put in that situation. You shouldn't have been put in any of this. I'm sorry for not being there when you really needed me."

"It's not your fault," Zuko shrugged, picking up his cousins underlining thoughts. "None of this is your fault. If anything, I'm the one to blame for this mess."

"It's not your fault either," Lu Ten looked at the boy with a stern gaze. "I may not know _all_ the details of the past few years, but I have picked up enough to know that they haven't been easy for you. Jumping at a chance to go home, with everything I have heard, is understandable. Hell, I would give anything to be back home right now."

Zuko took in his cousin's words. A spectrum of emotions dashed across his face. The prince's hand lifted upwards in habit, but whenever it became level with his chest, Zuko let it fall. He noticed where his cousin's eyes were located. "How much _do_ you know about the past few years."

Lu Ten dropped his gaze upon realizing he had been caught staring. After a moment, he looked back at the boy and answered. "Dad's filled me in a lot. He told me about you two traveling through the Earth Kingdom, and your hunt for the Avatar. He also told me why you were out here and how you got…"

Lu Ten's voice trailed off, and Zuko didn't need him to finish to understand.

"I want you to know though," Lu Ten directed his gaze straight onto his cousin, "that I couldn't be more proud of you for what you did in that war room."

Zuko was taken back. "What?"

"You standing up for those men," Lu Ten answered, "it was something that any one of those stuffy generals should have done, yet they were all too scared to do it. But you stood up. It took a thirteen year old boy to stand up for those below him, to show them what courage is. And that is why I am proud of you. You did what was right, when everyone else was too afraid to."

"A lot of good it did," Zuko shrugged, turning his gaze away.

"Do you regret it?" Lu Ten suddenly asked. Zuko turned sharply to look at him in confusion. "Do you regret standing up for those men? Even though they were sent out anyways, would you have still spoken out for them if you knew what that action would lead to?"

"I don't know," Zuko shrugged.

"You do know," Lu Ten smiled.

"Look," Zuko sighed, "I don't know okay. I want to say yes, but if I had known that standing up and questioning the morals of society and war would lead to everything that has happened, I just don't know if it would have done it again. It's been Hell for the past three years. I just don't know if it was really worth it."

"To those men," Lu Ten said simply, "you standing up for them most likely meant more than any medal of honor or praise they could have received. The rest of the war committee seemed to have had only the win on their mind, but you Zuko, you had the soldiers' lives at heart. I can tell you that even though what you said didn't have any effect outside of that war room, they still knew that you tried to save them."

Lu Ten's voice trailed off and his hand fell from his cousin's shoulder. He let a deep breath leave his lips as his own time in the Fire Nation army came back to him. He could have easily skipped the earning ranks; a privilege to royals in the army, but instead the man had decided to start from the trenches. He had seen his share of deaths, many of which should have been prevented. He knew from personal experience the way soldiers were sometimes used as target practice.

Under his father's command, he had not seen any of the sacrifice that other generals had done. The Dragon of the West had kept his men as safe as possible, but Lu Ten hadn't always been in his father's divisions. General Zafeer's strategies had led to many victories and many deaths for more years than Lu Ten wished to count back.

It pained Lu Ten, to think of a young Zuko standing up to that devil of a man. He was indeed proud of his cousin for his actions, but that didn't mean that he should have taken them in the way he did. More to the point, he should have never _had_ to have taken those actions. Thirteen was too young to realize the horror of war.

"Let me ask you another question than," Lu Ten spoke, pushing down the dark thoughts in his mind. "Where would you be right now, if you hadn't gone through all of that stuff."

"Back home I guess," Zuko shrugged. "Wouldn't have had a reason to leave. I never would have had to worry about getting back."

Lu Ten placed a hand on Zuko's shoulder. The younger male felt almost frail under his touch, and as Lu Ten gave him a reassuring squeeze, he found himself frowning at how thin and tense he was. The dark pain that laced through Zuko's golden eyes, combined with rigidness of his body and movements, laid out the toll the past years had taken on the boy. Neither of them were strangers to war, and Lu Ten quickly realized that whatever had occurred in his absence had left deeper scars than he knew how to fix on his young cousin. "Yet when you were so close to going back, you traded it to save my dad's life."

"Are we on the same conversation here?" Zuko raised an eyebrow. He looked at his cousin skeptically. "Because I feel like we've been jumping around a lot. If you're trying to create some giant lesson, you're missing a proverb of two in there. Try, 'one does not chose his own destiny, but his destiny choses him'. Uncle's used that like six times on me by now. I'm surprised he didn't sew that into a pillow and leave it on my bed with all the times I've heard it."

"Good to see you never lost that spunk," Lu Ten chuckled, the sound just passing his lips before dying away. "But on a serious note, I am proud of you. I am proud of what you have become while I was gone. You've grown to be a strong, compassionate and honorable young man, and I couldn't be more impressed."

Zuko couldn't hide the blush that form along his pale cheeks.

Lu Ten smiled as well, his eyes crinkling with the gesture. "So what do you plan on doing now?"

"I don't know," Zuko shrugged, his voice a lot lighter than previous. "There aren't many options left at this point."

"The world is full of possibilities and chances," Lu Ten smirked, "for those who fish for them."

Zuko shot his cousin an annoyed glare. "Alright Mr. Proverb, what are you going to do. What is your fishing trip going to bring for options."

Lu Ten threw back his head in a chuckle. "I think you were trying to insult me there. We'll work on that. But seriously, I think this is my chance to make a difference and actually do something worth doing."

His mind drifted a bit, remembering the reasons behind the choices he would now make. His subconscious recalled the pain and destruction he had seen during his time as a soldier. So much of which had been caused by his own hands. The faces of the men who had gone down into those cells with him and had not returned played behind his vision. Huogh, the youngest among us, had received a letter from his wife telling him he would be a father just an hour before they had left for the wall. Somewhere in the Fire Nation, a child; like so many, grew up fatherless because of this war.

It had been in those cells that he had really started to think upon the reasons as to why so many young men and women had to die. And as he had the many times he had asked himself that same question, he could not come up with a good excuse.

Lu Ten sighed, pulling himself from his memories. "This war has gone on for far too long and caused too much destruction. I know you may not quite feel the same way, but I need you to cons-"

"Then I'm helping too," Zuko looked up at his cousin, a spark in his eyes dancing over the golden lens.

"Are you sure about this?" Lu Ten raised an eyebrow.

Zuko shrugged. "Uncle's been trying to convince me to do something like this since the two of us started in the Earth Kingdom. Besides, you're doing it."

"I also don't have much to lose at this point," Lu Ten shock his head. "Except for you and my dad, there isn't much for me to come back to at this point. You're sister made that point clear in Ba Sing Se."

Zuko rolled his eyes. "There isn't any going back or changing things for me either. If you two are staying with these people, than I'm going to suck up my pride and make this work. Besides, my dad declared me a traitor a long time ago; it's about time I took up the title."

"That a boy," Lu Ten chuckled as he patted the exile on his back. "Remember that in a few minutes."

"Why?"

"Because there is an angry waterbender stomping in our direction." Lu Ten nodded just behind Zuko. The boy flinched, doing well to suppress the sudden flash of fear on his face as Katara and Sokka stopped beside them. "How have you been today Katara?"

"Can I borrow Zuko," the waterbender growled through gritted teeth.

Lu Ten sent an encouraging smile towards his cousin. Zuko shot him back a frown; desperate and pleading for assistance. Chuckling, Lu Ten nodded. "Of course. I expect you to return him when you're done. Don't leave too many bruises."

Zuko stood, casting a glare down at Lu Ten. "Thanks," he whispered sharply before following behind the waterbender.

-oOo-

"So you talked to Zuko then." Sokka casually said. He had sat down on the bench after Katara had lead Zuko a bit away; in what appeared to be a quickly heated argument. The Water Tribe Warrior was surprised at how quickly the two of them boiled at one another.

He himself wasn't completely over all the frustration and danger Zuko had put them in, but he found himself unable to stay furious about it. He didn't know if it was because of what he had learned concerning the other males past or not. Or if it was the way that the prince had acted in the last twenty-four hours that caused him to reconsider his views on him. Prior to this, the only interactions the two had had were combat, and one on one between the two had been far and few between. It had been easy to peg Zuko as the enemy and leave it at that. But that was before he had been forced to see the human side to him.

Sokka would never forget what he had seen flying out of Ba Sing Se that second time. He had been too busy trying to get them out and away from there that he hadn't even realized that his own sister was in danger of falling before it had been too late. Zuko had caught her before he could. As he had reached to grab her from Zuko, the flash of lightening had caught his eyes. There was no denying it, Sokka knew and realized in the instant that Zuko's hand let go of its grip in Appa's fur that he had just saved Katara from being struck. If they had been dangling there a moment later…

"Ya. I talked to Zuko about it." Lu Ten's nodded his head towards the prince, who despite the vivid insulting hand gestures Katara was giving him, was managing to keep his calm. "He's in on the idea."

"Really?" Sokka drew out the word in curiosity.

"Zuko's not a bad kid," Lu Ten answered. "A bit misguided in a few things, but he's a good kid. One who realizes what he has to do."

Sokka looked at his curiously. "A good kid? I'll take your word for it. With that answered, I have another question for you. How is your firebending."

Lu Ten crossed his arms over his chest and shrugged. "I used to be one of the best. Can I ask why?"

"What do you mean 'used to be'." Sokka's face look defeated as he narrowed his eyes.

With a sigh, Lu Ten raised his left hand up into the air. His pinky finger was smaller than it should have been, and bent sideways overlapping the finger beside it. Along with this, his middle finger was missing the nail to it, the one between that and his thumb completely missing the tip of it. All five of his fingers were a sick shade of grey around the knuckles, and curled in slightly towards his palm. "Hands are essential to firebenders."

"Spirits," Sokka hissed as he took in the sight. "What happened? More importantly, how did we not notice that before?"

"Most people don't look at hands when they first met." Lu Ten answered and he let his hand rest by his side. "As to how, the Earth Kingdom has a cruel way of dealing with dangerous firebending prisoners. Crushing their hands not only destroys pretty much any ability to firebender. The Dai Li took up the method to deal with me and a few others before they put us underground."

"But Aang said you firebended under Lake Lougi. Right before we came in." Sokka inquired.

"They thankfully messed up while doing my hand. By some miracle the rock must have slipped or something." Lu Ten replied. "It hurt like Hell, all the bones in my hand shattering at once. But luckily for me, it didn't completely destroy them. My thumb, pinky and tips of all my fingers had been pretty well beyond repair, but my palm and the main joints had not been completely destroyed. It took a bit to reset them myself, but I am no doctor. I have enough function in them to get through everyday life, but I am afraid that writing a letter is something that will take me a long time to complete.

"As for firebending, I don't know how well I will do. I have spent since than sitting in a cell, where getting caught firebending was not wise. I can't image I can put much strain on them in fear of damaging or rebreaking. Any firebending I have done since then has consisted of small and quick burst. What firebending I did while escaping from both the Dai Li headquarters and Ba Sing Se, has been along those same lines. I can't imagine I'm anywhere passed able to do basic forms at this point. Why do you ask?"

"Iroh agreed to be Aang's firebending teacher." Sokka withdrew his gaze from Lu Ten's hands and looked towards him. "But he said you and Zuko were part of the deal. So I was wondering just how helpful you'd be."

"I'm still pretty useful" Lu Ten smirked.

"Aha." Sokka smiled. "You just make sure you keep up. And tell your cousin to behave. I know Iroh said that Zuko would be a ball of sunshine, but make sure you keep him in line."

A smirk sank over Lu Ten's features as the two of them looked off at Zuko and Katara. "Like I said, he's not a bad kid. Just give him the chance. I assure you, you'll be amazed at what he can do."

-oOo-

Katara wasn't quite sure what she wanted to say to Zuko now that the two were alone. Save for Lu Ten and Sokka a couple dozen of feet away, the area was free of any villagers. She had wanted to take this moment to vent all of her frustration out onto him. Unsure how to begin, Katara hissed sigh through her teeth and narrowed her eyes at the firebender.

Zuko cast a strange stare back at her. "I'm sorry." He was the first to speak, his voice full of sincerity and remorse. "For what I did under Ba Sing Se. I thought I was doing the right thing. I didn't really think it all through."

Katara was startled by the sudden apology he was giving. She hadn't expected him to apologize so easily, and so earnestly. For a second she wanted to accept his words as they were, but stopped whenever she recognized that tone. He sounded just as he had in that cave; lost, confused, betrayed and hopeful, right before he had turned on her.

With this in mind, Katara chuckled darkly and remembered why she was so angry to begin with. "You didn't think it through? Spirits, well that just makes it all better doesn't it? You didn't think that maybe siding with your evil sister was a bad move? That what, she would just let us all leave after a nice little tea party? You could have put an apron on while making tea and she could have regaled us in the battle strategies that your father probably read to you while in your nice little bed. And for desert, Azula would make a nice lightening charred Avatar! Then the two of you could have went home to your nice little palace where all your problems are solved by people who wait on you hand and foot."

"Will you stop yelling at me!" Zuko said it with so much venom and disdain; enraged that his genuine apology had been turned against him so easily and harshly. "I am trying to apologize."

"I am not yelling!" Katara snarled back, her voice louder than it had been. "I'm just trying to make my point clear."

"And what is your point?" His words came out with a scoff, giving him a snobbish attitude. Zuko crossed his arms over his chest. "Since you seem to know everything."

"My point is," Katara's eyes narrowed as she leaned in closer, "that you are a selfish, arrogant, back stabbing ass, who would turn on the people who, despite you trying to kill them for month, showed you a kindness and willingness to take you in. You had a chance to do what was right down in those caves, but you didn't. Instead, you took my trust and shoved in back in my face. You betrayed me. You betrayed all of us! All for a chance to return to the land of EVIL so you could play Prince Zuko. You sold us out for hot baths and foot rubs."

"That's what you think?" Zuko narrowed his eyes at her. "That I chose to join her because of a little pampering? Shows how much you don't know me, despite the fact that you clearly think you do."

"Of really. Then tell me, your highness," the amount of sarcasm contained in that one word was impressive, "what exactly prompted you to make that decision. What voice in the back of your mind told you that siding with the homicidal princess was a good thing to do. What made you think it was the right chose, as you put it earlier."

"My reasons are my own," Zuko snarled. "That is both none of your concern nor is it your business."

Katara flinched at the verbal back lash. "Everything is my business when it comes to this group and its safety."

"I am not a threat." Zuko sighed. The crease of his brow softened slightly.

"You're not a threat?" Katara didn't pick up on the sincerity in his voice as she continued to press into him. "Oh, so I just forgot about everything that has happened the past few months?"

"Look," Zuko growled. He bit his lip, as if trying to suppress his anger. "I've done a lot of bad things, I know I have."

"That's an understatement." Katara jeered with a roll of her eyes.

"Will you listen to me," Zuko barked. "Could you just get out of whatever little paradise you live in inside of your head and listen to me?"

A silence sank over them. Both benders glared into the other, a silence challenge for control playing. With a residual sigh, Zuko continued. "I'm not proud of any of it. I didn't stop and think about what I was doing, I just did whatever I wanted in order to get the Avatar. But I'm not going to do that anymore. I'm done chasing after you all, and I'm done trying to take the Ava-Aang."

Katara looked at him with a softened stare. Her eyes relaxed from their glare, and her lips loosened from the frown they had been holding. Her tone was unsure as she spoke. "Why should I believe you? What reason do you have for all of a sudden changing sides?"

"Because there's no point to it anymore." Zuko sighed. His voice was soft and wretched, but it wasn't looking for pity or empathy. It was the voice of defeat; of a soldier who could no longer be a target. "Going home is no longer an option I have. And even if it was, I'm not abandoning my Uncle to do it. I made that mistake once and I won't do that to him a second time."

A stony silence sank over the two of them, as neither knew how to respond. Katara huffed, and crossed her arms over her chest. She opened her mouth to retort when a young voice drew her attention away. Katara spotted Smellerbee, who was running towards them. Her words came out breathless. "There you guys are. I've been looking everywhere for you all. Aang's awake."

-oOo-

All frustration and anger dissolved the moment they stepped through the door and into the infirmary. Kiko stepped aside as Katara and Sokka were the first to burst into the room. Their eyes first spotted Toph; the earthbender sitting on the edge of the bed with her back towards them. Just passed her, was Aang, awake and blinking at the large group. Katara nearly toppled Jet, Smellerbee and Longshot, who had already been in the room, over as she pushed towards the bed.

"Thank Goodness you are alright." Katara sat on the edge of the bed beside him. Aang seemed to brighten up at her presents, as his face grew into a large smile. After a moment, he looked away, a hint of sadness in his eyes, and he looked over the rest of the group.

The airbender jumped in the bed when he noticed the two stranglers entering into the room. "Guys watch out!" Aang attempted to climb out from under the blankets. "Zuko's behind you!"

Sokka reached down and did well to restrain the boy. "It's alright Aang. They're with us."

Aang resettled into the bed. He cast a curious gaze between the Water Tribe siblings before looking to Toph to confirm. "Really? Are you sure."

"Yes Twinkletoes," Toph sighed. She dug into her ear and let her blind eyes roll with her words. "Baby Sparks in with us."

"Baby Sparks?" Zuko's voice held a chuckle as he eyed the earthbender with a comical glare. "I am not a Baby Spark."

Toph locked her unseeing eyes on him. She smirked at the way his heartbeat jumped under her gaze. "Can it Baby Sparks. You should feel lucky that I gave you a nickname to begin with."

"Go easy on the kid, Toph," Lu Ten chuckled, earning a glare from Zuko.

"If you three are done with the tea party?" Jet voiced, narrowing his glare directly at Zuko, who merely brushed it off.

The firebender glanced around the room, taking note of a missing presence. "Where's my uncle?"

Sokka answered, looking at the firebender from the corner of his eye. "He's talking with Hiruko at the moment. He said not to wait up for him, he'll be here as soon as he can." He turned his attention onto Aang, who was still staring blankly at Zuko. "How are you doing? Are you up for flight?"

Katara's jaw dropped. "He just woke up Sokka. He's in no condition to be flying about."

"He's also in no condition to take another Azula attack," Sokka countered. "The rest here was nice, but we can't stay in one place too long. Not this close to Ba Sing Se, and not with this big of a group. It's not safe and we have to keep a move on. We can't let Ba Sing Se stop us from planning this invasion."

"What invasion?" Zuko's voice was curious. The group's eyes came towards the firebender. Upon seeing everyone looking at him; with mixed emotions in their gazes, Zuko crossed his arms over his chest as if from a bit of protection. "I was just asking."

"We don't have time to explain all the details," Sokka shock his head. "And frankly, I don't trust you enough yet to tell you everything. Lu will give you the basics of it later. For now, stand there and try to keep up."

"Wait." Katara looked between her brother and Lu Ten. "He knows about the invasion. Who told him? And when?"

"Whenever we were looking for you and Zuko," Sokka deadpanned. "I felt it was best to inform him and Iroh so we wouldn't have to later."

"Why were you looking for Katara and Zuko?" Aang looked once at Sokka before casting a deep glare towards Zuko. At this point, the prince just rolled his eyes.

"A bump in the plan," Sokka waved it off. He turned and narrowed his eyes towards Zuko. "You better be one hundred percent about you're loyalties though. We're trusting you not to run off and get us killed. Be warned though, we will not hesitate to hurt you if we think you're a threat."

Zuko rolled his eyes at the warning. "Whatever you say Captain."

"Dragonfly," Lu Ten chuckled, "was that an attitude I heard there?"

"Probably." Zuko nodded his head while looking at his cousin. A smirk played over his features. "Uncle says I have a slight attitude problem."

"Just be warned," Sokka shock his head. He turned back to Aang. "Now how about that flight."

"I think I should be okay." Aang attempted to sit back up, a grimace sinking over his face at the effort. Katara's hands were on his shoulders instantly, helping him back down. "I'm fine Katara. Just a little sore."

"Do you even have an idea of where to go?" Katara asked her brother. "We can't just fly around blind. We'll get ourselves killed."

"I take insult to that," Toph declared, momentarily stopping in picking in her ear.

Sokka cast the earthbender an annoyed smile, but continued. "I was thinking about meeting up with dad and the Water Tribe fleet. They need to know that we won't have the full Earth Kingdom army behind us. And there we can find out any new news that we don't already know. I talked with Iroh about the plan, and he agrees that it's the best move."

"You talked with…" Katara trailed off for a moment. "When did you do all of this planning."

"While you were sitting here with Aang." Sokka answered his sister than turned his gaze onto Aang. "I did ask Iroh to be your firebending teacher."

"What did he say?" Aang looked at his friend; hope and eagerness written on his young face.

"It was pretty much a yes." Sokka answered.

"Wait," Zuko interrupted, scratching his head. "My Uncle's going to teach you firebending?"

Sokka nodded. "He also invited you and Lu along as well. Hope you can keep up."

"It would be nice if he could share his crazy ideas before drafting people into them." Zuko frowned, the corners of hips loose.

"Back on track though," Sokka shock his head as he turned back to Aang. "As soon as you're ready for flight, we're heading out."

"So are all of us going to meet up with your dad?" Aang cast an unreadable stare towards Zuko.

Sokka sighed. "Not exactly. We're doing a bit of a split here."

"Who's all splitting?" Aang asked.

"I'm taking Bee and Shots to round up some Freedom Fighters." Jet's voice came a bit off from where they sat. "We figured without Ba Sing Se, we could use as much help as we can get in taking on this invasion."

"Okay." Aang nodded, taking in the plan he was hearing. "So what are we going to do after we met up with Chief Hakoda?"

"We'll wait until you feel better to fill you in more." Sokka gripped Aang's shoulder in a reassuring manner. "We have to get to the Southern Fleet first."

**-oOo-**

**And that is the end of chapter ten. I don't want this author's note to be long, so just a few things left to say.**

**This chapter was really difficult, despite the fact that there really wasn't much to it. The desired plot of this chapter was really just to deal with the transition between Ba Sing Se action and leading into reuniting with the Southern Fleet. What needed to be covered and planned out was easy. What was a bit of a challenge, was keeping everyone's words and actions in character. I wanted Sokka to take that charge, push them ahead but not lose his sense of humor in the job. Toph, I wanted as more of a comic relief, as I can't imagine her as much in the planning. Aang was lost in this, he's newly wakened up and I didn't want him to play too large of a roll because he is still recovering. Jet, Smellerbee, and Longshot played as kind of the background characters in this. They have their part, but it doesn't do much for overall. Lu Ten became not like a foil to Zuko, but more someone to balance and keep him in check. He also played the role of being the one to open Zuko up into what he was thinking, and about joining up with Team Avatar. Iroh was kind of Iroh. He did his Iroh thing. **

**Zuko stumped me a bit, because I didn't want him to lose his Zuko attitude, but I couldn't have him being all crabby and angry. But along with that, it was difficult trying to balance and counter that with his more soft side. The conversations he has in here were troubling for me, because they really could have gone either way, depending on how I wrote him. I chose to try and do like he is whenever he returns to the Fire Nation. Unsure, confused, and still a bit angry at the world. In the end, that was how I decided how to do him. **

**Katara also was a bump in doing this. I need her to be the strong voice of protection, but I can't have her being so strong that it drives Zuko away from them. She jumps his case quickly whenever the two get to talk, despite the fact that he just apologized. One of the things I found entertaining about Katara was her ability to keep that grudge against Zuko. In "Southern Raiders" she pretty much blows up at him for making a comment around the fire. After he saved her from being crushed, and she stopped him from falling to death, mind you. So it didn't seem too unrealistic that she would spring on him so easily. It was her feelings about Lu Ten, Zuko and Iroh being with them that really was a wrench in my mind. We know how she feels about Zuko, that's obvious. After Iroh saved them, I can believe that she trust him. Lu Ten was a wild card. I imagine she trusts Lu, it's just the fact of who he is that stumps her. One moment he was a tag along, than he was the missing prince... that's a lot to take in. Plus, he's so close to Zuko. Close to the point that the deciding factor for Zuko in where he's to go, rests largely on where Iroh and Lu are going. It's kind of hard for Katara to see and trust Lu Ten, whenever he is that close to her greatest enemy. But as she sees that Lu Ten holds such a powerful influence over Zuko, she should hopefully calm down a bit.**

**Invasion in like five months. Did a bunch of math; which involved counting how long I thought each episode was, the down time in between, the changes of the seasons and staring at the rough time line of the world on the Avatar website (It was useful. I found out what year Kyoshi died, and what year Lu Ten died, and what year Toph was born… but didn't really map out the episodes for me. Learned a bit about births, deaths and other cool things like that, but none of that is really useful. Well, the Lu Ten part was helpful. According to the site he died roughly six years prior.) **

**The date of the invasion was based on two things. How long I figured the season lasted (figured there was a month/two with the Southern Fleet, and then three months of running about before invasion. Followed by a month of Zuko being with Team Avatar prior of the comet, but that's a different topic.) as well as how much I wanted to write to space out before the invasion. So five months, of wacky, crazy shenanigans to cause trouble. **

**Invasion is where we're heading. There was no way to remove the invasion. I mean, they worked so hard for it, and just because Lu Ten is alive don't mean that the eclipse just doesn't happen. It's a force of nature, I can't just forget about it. The actual invasion, as well as everything leading up and everything after, will not be like the show. I'm not going to just implant Lu, no I'm working with a completely original plot/story-line. **

**Kuei has left about now. He's off on his journey, and should be at Song's place in a few months. **

**With that said, what to look for in Chapter 11:  
Radioactive- Imagine Dragon:  
The team separates, but not before old rivals go for one another's throats. The Southern Fleet is filled in on current news, Fire Nation ships are taken, trust is earned, and fathers grow suspicious. Azula picks up a certain group of prisoners on her way back home.**


End file.
